Andy White, the session drummer who played on the the Beatles’ first single “Love Me Do” and its b-side “P.S. I Love You,” died Monday at age 85, his family said.
According to the BBC, the Scottish-born drummer died following a stroke.
White was chosen to play drums on the track rather than recently recruited Ringo Starr, who played tambourine during the 1962 session.
The fill-in musician was paid a flat fee of five British pounds for the three-hour session, receiving no royalties for the single, which reached Number 17 on the charts.
White would go on to play on the Tom Jones single “It’s Not Unusual,” and toured with artists including Marlene Deitrich, Burt Bacharach and Rod Stewart.
White’s family touted his “amazing humility and humbleness about his many achievements” to the BBC on Wednesday.