Harry Nilsson died in his sleep. He was fifty-two years old

"On January 15, 1994, Harry Nilsson died in his sleep. He was fifty-two years old, nearly broke, and still dreaming of a comeback that would never arrive. The voice that Ringo Starr once called ""the greatest on planet Earth"" had been damaged years earlier. His savings had been stolen by someone he trusted. He had never toured — not once in his entire career. And yet, his songs were everywhere. Harry Nilsson had everything fame requires: the talent, the voice, the blessing of the most famous band in history. But he never wanted what fame demanded in return. He just wanted to make music. And he wanted to be left alone while he did it. Harry Edward Nilsson III was born in Brooklyn in 1941. His father abandoned the family when Harry was three. His mother told him his father had died in the war. Years later, Harry discovered that was a lie. The family drifted between relatives before settling in Los Angeles, where Harry dropped out of school and eventually found work as a computer programmer at a bank in Van Nuys. His coworkers knew him as Harry Nelson. They had no idea that after his shifts ended, he went home and wrote songs that would outlive them all. He taught himself piano and guitar. He had no formal training — only an instinct for melody and harmony that couldn't be taught. In 1967, he released his debut album. Critics loved it. Sales were modest. But John Lennon reportedly listened to it for thirty-six hours straight, then called Harry from England to tell him it was brilliant. A year later, at a press conference announcing Apple Records, a reporter asked the Beatles their favorite American artist. John Lennon answered without hesitation: ""Nilsson."" The room went quiet. Reporters were confused. Nilsson wasn't a band. Harry Nilsson was one man — a man who could sing across three octaves, layer his own voice into a one-man choir, and break your heart with a single whispered phrase. And almost nobody had ever seen him perform. He hated the stage. He suffered f…