The break-up of the biggest band the world had ever seen came as a shock to their millions of fans.
When Paul McCartney gave an interview in 1970 essentially saying The Beatles were over, he blindsided George Harrison and Ringo Starr - and incensed his songwriting partner, John Lennon.
See more: Unpublished letters by Linda McCartney about Paul McCartney discovered from the 1960s
The announcement came after years of in-fighting, jealousies and behind-the-scenes tensions between the Fab Four since their rise to superstardom in 1962 and would commence the beginning of the end for the world-famous band.
Read on for the inside story of the twist and turns of the group's volatile break-up ...
What caused the Beatles to break up?
It was 1966 and after years of touring the world playing to packed out audiences and screaming fans, The Beatles needed a break.
