Former Beatles accountant come Rolling Stones manager dies

Allen Klein, the former record artist accountant then manager of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, has died aged 77 after complications due to Alzheimer's.

The entrepreneur was once labeled as among the most powerful men in music as well as being called the 'shark in murky waters' for his tough negotiating skills when it came to recording contracts. He rose to fame in the 1960s for, amongst other things, his relentless applications of accounting methods The Times reported.

Klein said: 'I never wanted to be a manager. It was going over the books that I loved.'

It is reported that John Lennon persuaded his fellow Beatles to recruit Klein as manager as he said he wanted 'a real shark, someone to keep the other sharks away'.

Klein managed the Rolling Stones in the 1960s for approximately five years where he most notably renegotiated their contract with record company Decca.

Klein told Decca company chairman that he hoped his executives could sing as 'you've just lost the Stones'. Decca eventually paid a higher price for the contract to retain the group.

Later the Stones parted company with Klein with the accountant taking the rights to some of their famous songs such as '(I can't get no) satisfaction' with Keith Richards labeling the moves as 'the price of an education'.

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