Beatles' bootlegged products soar following business manager's death

London, May 2 : The Beatles' company Apple Corps is reportedly suffering following the loss of the band's business manager Neil Aspinall who died of cancer last month.

Aspinall, who died at the age of 66, was at the helm of the group's business empire from 1968 until his retirement last year.

And now industry insiders claim that Apple Corps has failed to crack down on a string of illegal sales of the Fab Four's work, amid rumours the company is failing to cope without Aspinall's expertise.

"Neil Aspinall had a reputation for really keeping his eye on the ball when it came to protecting the band's interests," The Daily Express quoted a source, as saying.

"But there's a worry Apple has really taken its eye off the ball of late, as there are a number of essentially bootlegged products using The Beatles' music and film footage, being bizarrely sold in the shops and on the internet.

"One obvious example is their film Let It Be, which has never been released on DVD or video by Apple but is openly for sale on the Internet as a pirate copy. The feeling is Apple really needs to get its act together," the source added.

Apple Corps refused to comment on the matter.

ANI