The four of them had difficult childhoods:
Ringo Starr was an only child, parents divorced. At 6 , he had an appendectomy and then contracted peritonitis, forcing him to live at a local children's hospital for 12 months while he recovered. This put him considerably behind in school, but just as he caught up (with the help of a tutor), he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and spent the next two years in a sanatorium. There, he formed a band and young Ringo discovered percussion
Paul McCartney when he was only 14 years old, his mother died of complications after a mastectomy. He had that in common with Lennon.
George Harrison like his future bandmates, was not born into wealth. He and Lennon actually shared the same school but they never crossed paths there as George was younger.
John Lennon also had a difficult childhood. When he was four years old, his parents separated and he ended up living with his Aunt Mimi. Lennon's mother, Julia, remarried, but visited him and Mimi regularly. He was devastated when Julia was fatally struck by a car. Her death was one of the most traumatic events in his life.
From early age, the four of them showed an interest in music. I thing their childhood marked them and music was their refuge.
