Paul McCartney has left many fans emotional after speaking about a man who stood beside him in the very early days — before the world ever knew the legend called The Beatles. It was not John, George, or Ringo, but Len Garry — an old friend from the Quarrymen days, someone who was there when everything was only just beginning, before illness quietly pulled him away. Amid the glory of a band that went on to change music history, Len’s death has suddenly drawn people back to a much earlier, rarely told chapter — one where not everyone who helped start the story stayed to the end.

Sir Paul McCartney has paid homage to his childhood friend, fellow Liverpool musician, and former bandmate, Len Garry, whose death was announced today.

Garry, who was born in 1942, was the same age as McCartney, and both attended Liverpool Institute High School for Boys together from 1953. The pair were introduced to one another by their mutual friend, Ivan Vaughn. Vaughn would later introduce Paul McCartney to another friend, his future Beatles bandmate and songwriting partner, John Lennon.

From 1957, Len served as the tea-chest bassist for the Quarrymen, following the departure of former member, Bill Smith. Garry served as a member of the original line-up of the group when the band started to become a serious act, along with Lennon, Rod Davis, Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanton, and Pete Shotton. McCartney would later join the group from October 1957. Garry formally quit the band due to tubercular meningitis, which caused a 7-month hospital stay.

By 1960, the group had formally evolved to become The Beatles, with Lennon and McCartney joined by George Harrison and Ringo Starr as the principal original members — although some Beatles historians would assert that drummer Pete Best and bassist Stuart Sutcliffe also count as former Beatles.

McCartney paid tribute to his former Quarrymen bandmate on social media following the announcement of his death at the age of 84 on Tuesday morning. “My dear old mate from the Quarrymen, Len Garry, has passed away,” he wrote, as a caption for an early image of the Quarrymen performing together. “He was a lovely guy, and I’m sad to see him go, but glad that we had so many fun times together. Rest in Peace Len. Love Paul”

Following his departure from the group, Garry worked as an architect in his home city of Liverpool. In 1997, Garry reunited with the surviving non-Beatle members of the Quarrymen to perform a concert in Liverpool to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the group. The group remained active to this day, although with various member lineups, touring across the world and performing the skiffle and traditional rock and roll songs they had performed during their original formation.