Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's widow, told a British newspaper on Monday that she will not only support a memorial for her husband in his home town, but she'll reveal plans for it before the summer.
In the letter published by the Henley Standard, the home town paper for the Victorian mansion she shared with Harrison, she wrote, “It has come to my attention that a petition with over 2,000 names is circulating in support of a memorial for George Harrison.
“After many years of thoughtful consideration, and with great appreciation of the sentiment towards George, we have decided that a more appropriate way of honoring his memory in Henley would be to support a community project.
“We will announce the details by the summer of 2013.”
George Harrison bought Friar Park located in Henley-on-Thames in the UK in 1970. It was his primary residence until his death in 2001.
A local resident, James Lambert, had proposed a statue of the former Beatle, but dropped the idea when he learned that Mrs. Harrison prefered a different type of memorial.
"This petition wasn't tapping into the Beatles fanfare worldwide, it was much more to recognize George's contribution to Henley and the affection Henley had for him. It is slightly disappointing but you have to respect Olivia's wishes, as she still has a house in Henley, Friar Park,” Lambert told the BBC.
Singer Sam Brown, whose performance of “Horse to the Water” at the 2002 Concert for George (see video) was one of the highlights of the show, said she'd like to see another concert for George Harrison and play the ukelele, a favorite of Harrison's, at the tribute.
“I know Olivia and providing it was all right with her I would love to take part in some way,” she told the Standard.
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