Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- A tree dedicated to the memory of Beatle George Harrison , whose solo career included the hit `` What is Life , '' has met a grisly end to its life from the jaws of voracious bark beetles . A pine stump now lies a few feet from a plaque dedicated to Harrison at the foot of a hiking trail in Los Angeles 's Griffith Park . City officials say the 12-foot-tall pine had to be cut down June 18 , to spare nearby trees from the spread of infestation by bark beetles . `` But we are going to replant a new George Harrison tree in November , '' said L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge , a local politician well known for his undying optimism and ceaseless attendance of civic events . `` We 're going to wait until after the summer when the weather cools off again . '' The original Japanese black pine tree was planted in 2003 near the Griffith Park Observatory and dedicated in 2004 . `` He meant a lot to me , George was my favorite Beatle , '' LaBonge reflected . `` I saw him at ( nearby ) Dodger Stadium in 1966 . George just did so much for so many people . I think he was the first rocker ever to stage a fund-raising event , the Concert for Bangladesh . '' Near the tree stump , a plaque reads `` In memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist , a musician and gardener . '' Below that it reads , `` For the forest to be green , each tree must be green , '' a quote attributed to Harrison . Harrison , often called the quiet Beatle , died of lung cancer in 2001 in Beverly Hills . In a photo that LaBonge says he took five or six years ago to mark an anniversary of Harrison 's passing , the mature tree is ringed by family friends . The picture includes Harrison 's widow Olivia , Eric Idle of Monty Python fame and Jeff Lynne , the Electric Light Orchestra frontman who played with Harrison in The Travelling Wilburys . Beatles songs written by Harrison include `` While My Guitar Gently Weeps '' and `` Something . '' The virtuoso guitar player 's signature riffs and solos helped propel the Beatles to greatness and his experimentation with Eastern Indian music could be heard with his sitar work on `` Norwegian Wood . '' Now , in a city park where there was once a specific wood -- a George Harrison tree -- there 's a stump . But LaBonge , borrowing from a Harrison album title , vows `` All Things Must Pass '' including the lack of a George Harrison tree . `` When you plant a tree to memorialize someone , it 's a special thing . '' LaBonge said . `` And I promise you in November this will be special again when we dedicate the new tree . '' Ron Howard to direct Beatles concert documentary . 5 things to know about Beatlemania .
A tree dedicated to the memory of Beatle George Harrison stood for more than a decade . The Japanese black pine tree was in Griffith Park in Los Angeles . The tree had to be cut down because of an infestation of bark beetles . A city councilman vows that , beetles notwithstanding , another tree will stand for a Beatle soon .