Harrison leaves £99m will

Fondly remembered: George Harrison in 1963

George Harrison left almost £100m ($155m) in his will, it has been announced, as all-star charity tribute concert in his honour gets under way.

Harrison left £99,226,700, reduced to £98,916,400 after expenses, a High Court spokeswoman confirmed.

He is thought to have divided the money between his wife Olivia and family members and a number of charities.

Olivia and George Harrison pictured in 2001

But in an ironic twist on one of Harrison's best-known songs - Taxman - 40% of his fortune will be handed over to the Inland Revenue in death duties.

Taxman's lyrics taunted the Inland Revenue with such lines as: "Now my advice for those who die/Declare the pennies on your eyes/'Cause I'm the taxman/Yeah, I'm the taxman/And you're working for no one but me."

The song was recorded in 1966 at the height of The Beatles' popularity as the exchequer was claiming a substantial portion of the band's income.

Performers

Ringo Starr rehearsing for his friend's memorial tribute

The amount of Harrison's estate was disclosed as 5,000 fans arrived at London's Royal Albert Hall for a memorial concert on the first anniversary of his death.

His former Beatles colleagues Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are leading performers at the show.

Joining them are Eric Clapton, ELO founder Jeff Lynne, Jools Holland, Tom Petty, and Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar player who influenced Harrison.

The concert marks a year to the day since Harrison's death from cancer at the age of 58.

"It's a reflection and a celebration - my dear friend George died on that day," said Starr before the show.

"And it's a positive groove - Olivia wanted to put it together and we all said 'yeah'."

George's widow Olivia, who organised the concert with Eric Clapton, said: "The tribute will resound not only within the Albert Hall, but hopefully reach the spirit of a man so loved by his friends who will be performing and attending."

Favourite

Fans queued for the concert since 0700 GMT on Friday

The concert will raise money for the charity Harrison funded, the Material World Charitable Foundation, which supports the arts, education, and people with special needs.

It is featuring a mixture of Harrison's own music and a selection of his favourite songs.

Stars of the comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus are also taking part.

On Thursday, Olivia, who had been married to Harrison for 23 years, spoke of how he had accepted the fact he was dying of cancer.

"He gave his life to God a long time ago. He wasn't trying to hang on to anything. He was fine with it," she told US TV network NBC.

There has been controversy over the price touts have charged for tickets

Peace

"Sure, nobody likes to be ill and nobody likes to be uncomfortable. But he went with what was happening."

She said the guitarist had spent years searching for inner peace and had aspired to "a higher kind of consciousness, a higher life".

"George dedicated a lot of his life to obtain a good ending, and I don't have any doubt that he was successful."