George Martin, producer and arranger for the Beatles, dies at 90

Sir George Martin, the dapper producer many considered “the fifth Beatle,” responsible for the lush orchestrations that brought songs such as “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Yesterday” to life, died on Tuesday.

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr broke the news on Twitter, writing Peace and love...

Mr. Martin, who produced virtually all of the Beatles’ records starting with their first hit, “Love Me Do,” in 1962, signed the band to EMI’s Parlophone Records after other labels had passed on the original quartet — guitarist John Lennon, bassist Paul McCartney, guitarist George Harrison and drummer Pete Best (whom he suggested the band dump in favor of Starr).

“The thing that attracted me to the Beatles was their enormous sense of fun and humor,” Mr. Martin said in an interview with The Chronicle in 1998.

The producer-composer won five Grammys and picked up an Academy Award nomination for best music, scoring of music, adaptation or treatment for the Beatles’ 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night.”

Aidin Vaziri is the San Francisco Chronicle’s pop music critic.