JYS mourns friend Harrison.

Jackie Stewart has paid tribute to his close friend, the musician George Harrison, after the former Beatle succumbed to his long fight with cancer.

The three-time world champion was a familiar face at Harrison's country retreat, and frequently invited the guitarist to grands prix around the world. Despite his struggle with cancer, Harrison continued to appear at race meetings until recently, but, in the past few months, and in spite of undergoing radical therapy, he became increasingly aware that he did not have long to live, and retired to a friend's home in Los Angeles.

"It is a sad day," Stewart told Britain's Radio Five, "It is always a shame, and is never easy, when the final curtain comes down. George was a remarkable man and, more than anything, was a deep and valued friend. My family was close to him - my sons and wife spent a lot of time close to him at his home - and of course, he loved motorsport.

"I think George understood life, and he understood death. He was a deep man, and looked at things at a different way to most people in this life. More than anything, he will, of course, be remembered for his music, but I will remember him for other reasons."

Harrison's struggle with cancer is particularly poignant for Stewart, whose wife Helen has recently been diagnosed with the disease - just as son Paul announced that his own brush with it was in remission. The Scot also lost former team boss Ken Tyrrell to the disease earlier this year.

The man 'dubbed the quiet Beatle' was first treated for cancer in 1997 after he found a lump in his neck, had surgery for lung cancer in 2001, and was reportedly treated at a Swiss clinic for a brain tumour.