Longtime Beatles insider Neil Aspinall quits Apple

A man who spent nearly 40 years as a custodian for the musical legacy of the Beatles has suddenly quit his post.

Apple Corps announced Tuesday that Neil Aspinall, a former schoolmate of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, had resigned, but gave no explanation for his departure.

Former Sony BMG executive vice-president Jeff Jones was announced as his replacement.

Aspinall, 64, "had been with John, Paul, George and Ringo for a spectacular 40-plus years, during which he played an indispensable role for the four. He was there since the inception of the band in Liverpool and has meant so much to the Beatles' family for all these years, and still does," read a statement from Apple Corps.

The company, which started out as a record label the Fab Four established in the late 1960s, has since taken responsibility for protecting the rights of surviving Beatles McCartney and Ringo Starr and the widows of Harrison and John Lennon.

Hewas a prominent figure for Apple Corps during highly publicized copyright battles with technology giant Apple and royalty fights with music label EMI.

Aspinall and McCartney were grammar school classmates, with Harrison following in the class a year behind them. He served as band's first road manager, became their personal assistant and was eventually asked by the Beatles to take a management post at Apple Corps.

In his years in that role, Aspinall aggressively protected the band's musical heritage and business interestswith the various lawsuits. He was also akey factor behind bestselling albums such as the Beatles Anthology and Beatles One.