In December 1991, George Harrison mounted a 12-show tour of Japan with his good friend Eric Clapton. The outing was the second and last of Harrison’s post-Beatles career, following a brief 1974 U.S. solo trek.

After 1991, the guitar legend only performed in public a few more times before his death from cancer at age 58 on November 29, 2001. His final full-length concert took place on April 6, 1992, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The star-studded show was a benefit for the Natural Law Party, a transnational political party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

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The last concert event featuring George was an all-star show celebrating Bob Dylan’s 30-year music career. It was held on October 16, 1992, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Then, in 1997, Harrison performed a few songs during an appearance on VH1 while helping his friend Ravi Shankar promote his 1997 album Chants Of India, which George played on and produced.

Many people widely believe Harrison’s VH1 performance, which took place at the channel’s London headquarters, marked the very last time that the Beatles legend performed in public. This, however, isn’t true.

Harrison’s final public performance actually took place on January 23, 1998, at rockabilly legend Carl Perkins’ funeral. George was among the many musical luminaries who attended the event, which was held at Lambuth University’s R.E. Womack Memorial Chapel in Jackson, Tennessee.

The funeral featured planned performances by several music stars, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Skaggs, and Wynonna Judd. As seen in a grainy video posted on YouTube, near the end of the service, Judd unexpectedly invited Harrison to the stage to perform.

About Harrison’s Performance at Perkins’ Funeral

In the clip, Wynonna is heard saying to Harrison, “George, I don’t want to put you on the spot or anything. Is there anything you want to request? Do you want to come up and be with us just for this? I think Carl would want that.”

Judd comments that Garth Brooks also is on stage, then quips, “You got to sing for your supper, son.”

According to reports, Harrison then grabbed Skaggs’ guitar, and addressed the audience, “Well, I think somebody out there must know this. It’s from Carl’s first album. And you all sing the answer voices, right?”

George then kicked into an inspired version of Perkins’ 1957 tune “Your True Love.” The mourners on stage, including Skaggs, Judd, and Cyrus, joined in by clapping and singing along.

After Harrison finished the song, he said, “Thank you. God bless Carl.”

Perkins, of course, was a major influence on The Beatles, and he became friends with Harrison during the 1970s. In October 1985, George took part in a star-studded concert celebrating Carl’s music that was taped for a TV special in London. Harrison performed “Your True Love” with Perkins and Edmunds during the show.

“Your True Love” was a hit on the U.S. country singles chart for Perkins in 1957, peaking at No. 13.

(Photo by KMazur/WireImage)