Fab Four friend quits Apple Corps

Apple Corps, guardian of the Beatles’ commercial interests, said Tuesday its chief executive, a longtime friend of the Fab Four, has quit.

Neil Aspinall, a school friend of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, was the band’s first road manager and would drive them between gigs in his van. He later became their personal assistant and in 1968 was given a management role at Apple Records, the band’s record label.

Aspinall, now 64, was executive producer on the top-selling “Beatles Anthology” and was behind other successes, including the “Beatles One” album.

The company said in a statement that Jeff Jones, a former executive vice president at Sony BMG, has been appointed as Aspinall’s replacement. There was no explanation for why Aspinall quit.