A minute of meditation for George

George Harrison's ashes are expected to be scattered on the sacred River Ganges in India tonight.

It is thought the ceremony will coincide with a minute of meditation in which his family have asked his fans to take part at 9.30pm.

Sources in India suggested Harrison, who died of cancer in Los Angeles on Thursday aged 58, may have chosen one of two holy sites on the Ganges for his ashes to be scattered.

One is Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh, which he visited many times after introducing his fellow Beatles to eastern mysticism in the late Sixties.

The band met with their guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in the town.

The other site is the holy city of Benares. Harrison, who first went there in 1967, returned this August as he fought his cancer. He is thought to have bathed in the Ganges which, according to Hindu religion, would have cleansed him of his sins.

Last night Harrison's widow Olivia and 24-year-old son Dhani asked that he be remembered at 9.30pm this evening.

In a statement, they added: 'We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and compassion from people around the world.'

Mick duets for George
George Harrison 1943 - 2001