What happened to Brian Epstein? Midas Man true story

It's not the only Beatles related content releasing in the coming months – a documentary from producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi is also set to arrive on Disney Plus in November, which is called Beatles '64 and features never-before-seen footage of the band.

However, while The Beatles themselves have been widely documented and dramatised, the details of Epstein's life are slightly less well known. So, as Midas Man is released on Prime Video, who was Epstein and what happened to him?

Read on for everything you need to know about the true story behind Midas Man.

Midas Man true story: Who was Brian Epstein?

The real-life Brian Epstein, best-known as the manager of The Beatles, was born in 1934 to parents who were successful retailers in Liverpool. Together they owned and ran a furniture business and a record shop, with Epstein going on to work in the furniture shop after leaving school early.

After serving as a clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps, he returned to school in 1956, enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, although subsequently dropped out and went to look after the family record shop, North End Music Store (NEMS). It became a success, leading to a second shop being opened.

In 1961 Epstein first saw The Beatles – then made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best – playing at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and offered to manage them.

For a time, he struggled to secure them a record deal, but he eventually sought advice from George Martin, who helped the band to craft their own style of music, and convinced them to find a new drummer, with Best being replaced by Richard Starkey, AKA Ringo Starr.

Epstein crafted the band's looks and style, convincing them to adopt their early clean-cut look, and marketed them to a broader fanbase, leading to them growing in popularity.

This ultimately led to the Beatlemania craze. Epstein went on to secure the band huge gigs across the globe, while his own management career also took off in other directions.

Other acts he managed included Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas, Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

What happened to Brian Epstein?

In the final months of his life, Epstein is said to have turned to stimulants to deal with the exhaustion from touring.

He died in August 1967 from an overdose of Carbrital mixed with alcohol, with his death being ruled as accidental. The Beatles did not attend his funeral, in order to avoid attracting fans and the media.

Following his death, rather than finding a new manager, The Beatles managed themselves, and went on to disband three years later in 1970.

Epstein was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

In a 1997 interview with the BBC, McCartney stated that "if anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian".

Midas Man will be available to stream on Prime Video in the UK from Wednesday 30th October 2024 – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.

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