After befriending the band, Cleave influenced their lyrics and prompted John Lennon’s infamous comment that they were ‘more popular than Jesus’
![Maureen Cleave, British journalist who championed the Beatles, dies aged 87](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2edc74a4c42061808cd0f5b5a863a1842dd7f7e0/0_276_5250_3150/master/5250.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=696e44c3e319f8349f237824dfd514c6)
Maureen Cleave, the
British journalist best known for her profiles of the Beatles, has died aged 87 after a short illness.
As one of the few young journalists given scope to write about the pop
explosion of the 1960s – and with her inquiring, non-deferential tone – Cleave helped to kickstart the British
music journalism that flourished in her wake.