History remembers April 10, 1970 as the "the day The Beatles broke up," but they had actually separated emotionally, spiritually, and musically long before that day. Fans the world over knew that the Fab Four had been going through a rough patch, but everyone was rooting for them to take their own advice and work it out. Alas, no such reunion was in the cards. The Beatles were broken up. Beatlemania had finally come to an end.
While Ringo Starr had actually tried to quit the band as early as 1968, he was talked into coming back. But according to The Beatles Bible, the following year John Lennon knew the magic was over and told the other guys he was out on September 20, 1969. Toward the end of 1970, Paul McCartney started the paperwork to officially dissolve the band's business partnership, beginning a long, drawn-out legal process that would end up lasting years. Although Lennon's announcement to the other three that he wanted out had been the emotional end of the band, he would end up dragging his feet when it came to making the split official, and The Beatles' breakup wouldn't be made legal until years later. And when the time finally came, Lennon was conspicuously absent from the proceedings.
