The Beatles consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. John Lennon and Paul McCartney met through a mutual friend before performing with the Quarry Men, and Paul later convinced John to audition his friend George Harrison for the band. The Beatles went through several name changes before settling on their final name. They first came to America in 1964 and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to great success. John Lennon was later shot and killed in 1980, and George Harrison died of cancer in 2001, leaving Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney as the only surviving Beatles.