Plain and simple, I am a Beatles fan. The beautiful melodies and lyrics of the once-in-a-lifetime group's songs stand the test of time. As a music lover and kid who studied piano, I am amazed by their compositions.  

When I watched a preview of the docu-series produced by filmmaker Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame, it seems like the video was shot today. Even though the footage is over 50 years old, the guys look contemporary and cool. I tend to watch a lot of interviews and documentaries and if you'd told me the clips were filmed last week, I would not dispute it. That is what timeless means.

Why the Beatles split up was a question on everyone's mind back in the day. I remember a lot of people blamed Yoko Ono, now 88. Much notoriety swirled around the Japanese artist/singer and peace activist. But her relationship with John Lennon was likely not the main cause for the band's split. Ono and Lennon married in 1969. The couple took pictures of themselves in their honeymoon bed to protest the Vietnam War. Together they formed the Plastic Ono Band that I don't think posed a true threat to the uniqueness of the Beatles.

Some believe a contributing factor to the end of the band was the death by overdose of their original manager Brian Epstein, 32. My grandmother was friends with his mother and shared some insight with me years ago. By her account, Brian was a very nice chap -- but an oversensitive man with troubles. However, he had a great talent for managing. The group took his passing hard in 1967.

The Beatles technically split in 1970. Paul McCartney himself said that he was partially to blame. McCartney sued the Beatles to retain ownership to the rights of music he'd written with Lennon. The stress of the lawsuit led to McCartney abusing alcohol for a while. 

Later on, a collaboration album Ono recorded with Lennon won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1980, just three weeks before his tragic death on December 8, 1980, in Manhattan, where he was gunned down in front of their apartment by a crazed fan Mark David Chapman. The 25-year-old perpetrator was a former security guard from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Chapman said he didn't appreciate Lennon's remark that the Beatles 'were more popular than Jesus,' not a stretch given their popularity. He also did not approve of Lennon's luxurious lifestyle. Chapman was sentenced to 20-years-to-life -- and remains locked up in Wende Correctional Facility, near Buffalo, NY; being denied parole 11 times. 

The death of George Harrison from cancer in 2001 was also tragic. To this day, the two surviving original Beatles, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr are still active. 

There will never again be a group like the Beatles. The cultural influence, uniqueness, and power they had (Beatlemania) have not been unparalleled. The Beatles: Get Back is a must-see.