Chas Newby, a founding member of The Quarrymen and a former bassist for The Beatles, passed today at the age of 91. His passing was announced at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where The Beatles originally rose to fame. Newby replaced Stuart Sutcliffe as The Beatles’ bass player when Sutcliffe was in Hamburg for a few performances. He later played with The Quarrymen and is remembered for being the first left-handed bassist to play for The Beatles.

A Beatles expert named Mark Lewishon shared his condolences and paid tribute to Newby on social media, calling him a “charming man” who had a tiny role in The Beatles in 1960.

Lewishon underlined that Newby participated in a crucial time in the Beatles’ history, which included a significant performance in Litherland.

Even though he had the opportunity to further his musical career, Newby chose to return to school after Lennon asked him to continue travelling with the band to West Germany in the 1960s.

In a 2012 interview with the Sunday Mercury, Newby stated that he never intended to support himself through music and that chemistry was what he really wanted to study. Their major concerns were their musical careers—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison—but Newby chose a different path.

Newby decided to pursue a career in education after his brief time in the band, and he eventually became a teacher. Despite The Beatles’ immense success, he claimed he did not regret his decision to quit the group and return to school.

Newby maintained this stance and asserted that he had no regrets about his career decision up to his dying. With his passing, a man whose brief but significant role in the creation of one of history’s most important bands is lost.