Back to This Week in Music History: December 30 - January 5

December 30, 1999: George Harrison Knifed During Home Break-in

Ian Showell, Keystone, Getty Images

Two years before he lost his life to a battle with throat cancer, the quiet Beatle George Harrison nearly met his fate in another tragic way.

Michael Abram, a mentally disturbed 36-year-old, broke into Harrison's home in the middle of the night and called out to him. When Harrison went to investigate the noise, Abram attacked him with a kitchen knife, puncturing Harrison's lung and giving him head injuries. Abram believed he was possessed by Harrison and that he was on a holy mission to end his life.

The musician was saved by his wife, Olivia, who used both a fireplace poker and a table lamp to attack the assailant to incapacitate him.

Abram was acquitted of first degree murder charges on grounds of insanity and was treated until 2002 in a secure hospital.