Many people have claimed the title “the Fifth Beatle,” but only one person deserves that claim to fame — George Martin.

Martin passed away comfortably in his home March 8, according to Martin’s music representative, Adam Sharp.

Martin’s revolutionization of rock and roll in the ‘60s provided the foundation for many rock and roll elements along with a new standard for group sound.

Born Jan. 3, 1926 in London, Martin had his first taste of music at the age of six when his family bought a piano. By the time Martin was 15, he participated in a small band called the “Four Tune Tellers.” At 17, Martin joined the Royal Navy as a pilot, but left four years later to study piano and oboe at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

After working at BBC for a short time as a producer, Martin joined the Parlophone label at EMI Records — a label constantly on the edge of being shut down. At first, Martin found little success other than keeping the label alive, but nonetheless was asked to take over in 1955.

In 1962, Martin first met the Beatles group after their manager, Brian Epstein, requested Martin take a look at the group. Martin had his doubts, but eventually agreed to sign the young group of boys from Liverpool onto the label.

Martin quickly made a name for himself as the Beatles rose in popularity during the ‘60s. Martin’s exceptional musical talent helped the Beatles branch out in their music. He added many different musical instruments to their songs and often layered recordings together to discover a new sound. In total, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Martin produced all but one of the Beatles’ released songs, including their 17 number one hits.

In 1965, during Martin’s rise to fame, he developed his own producing company; Associated Independent Recording (AIR). AIR had a studio in London and eventually branched out to include an island studio on Montserrat.

Throughout his producing days Martin worked with many popular artists and groups such as America, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Elton John and Celine Dion, among many others, with the Beatles taking the cake as most successful.

As Martin grew older, his hearing began to fail, leading to his vice presidency at the Deafness Research UK national charity. Martin’s philanthropy continued when Montserrat felt the effects of a massive hurricane in 1989, and he raised funds for victims through a compilation album featuring Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Elton John and others.

During his lifetime, Martin was knighted by Queen Elizabeth of England in 1996, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, won a Grammy Foundation Leadership Award in 2008 and produced 30 number one hits in the UK.

Martin’s transformative productions paved the way for new elements and sounds introduced into rock and roll. His innovative recording techniques assisted many great groups and artists in modernizing their musical sound. Martin personally saw to the success of the Beatles throughout their entire career and continued to work with members of the band even after their breakup.

Tweets from loved ones and strangers alike illustrate the powerful impact Martin had on the music world as a whole. Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, tweeted “Thank you for all your love and kindness George peace and love” while Giles Martin, Martin’s son, tweeted “Started out as my dad. Ended as my best friend. Love is all you need.”

Martin’s passion and talent for producing proved to the music world that, really, love is all you need.