In 1945, Tara Browne was born into British royalty. His father was the 4th Baron Oranmore and his mother was an heiress to the Guinness Brewery fortune. Upon his 25th birthday, Tara was set to inherit 1 million pounds. In the meantime, Tara ran with an elite crowd. He attended — and often hosted — parties boasting a veritable “who’s who” of the swinging London counterculture. For his 21st birthday, he flew guests on private jets to one of his family estates in Ireland. The guest list included John Paul Getty, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Jones’ then-girlfriend Anita Pallenberg (who would later give birth to three children by Keith Richards). Tara also numbered Paul McCartney and John Lennon among his close friends. Tara was responsible for introducing the Beatles’ bassist to his first LSD trip.
In mid-December 1966, Tara was driving through South Kensington with his girlfriend, model Suki Potier. His car, a luxury Lotus Elan, exceeded a hundred miles per hour and Tara was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He blew through a traffic signal and collided with a parked truck. Potier managed to leave the accident unscathed, but Tara died from his injuries the next day.
John Lennon immortalized his friend in the first two verses of the Beatles song “A Day in the Life.” McCartney, at first countered the reference, but confirmed it in his 2021 book Lyrics.