Five things you didn't know about George Martin

Record producer George Martin, best known for his decades-long collaboration with The Beatles, has died aged 90.

Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, announced the news this morning in a series of tweets.

Often called the "Fifth Beatle", Martin gave the Liverpudlian quartet their big break when he signed them to Parlophone in 1962.

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Responsible for all but a handful of their tracks, he was as instrumental as the Fab Four themselves when it came to crafting the Beatles sound.

Here are five things you might not know about the legendary producer:

His path to music was far from straightforward

Convinced a career in music was a fantasy, Martin took jobs as a quantity surveyor and a clerk before joining the Fleet Air Arm in 1943. He used a grant for war veterans to enrol at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, thus changing the course of his life.

He started his career in comedy

Despite going on to shape the sound of some of the UK's best-known musical acts, Martin wasn't assigned to pop music when he started work as a producer on the Parlophone label. Instead, he produced classical music, regional folk and comedy records. The success of his work with the likes of Peter Sellers, Peter Cook and Spike Milligan brought him to wider attention.

He agreed to sign The Beatles without seeing them

Brian Epstein, The Beatles's manager, sent Martin a demo tape in 1962, after several labels had turned the group down. Martin met Epstein at Abbey Road Studios and agreed to sign the band, but did not actually put pen to paper until they came face-to-face and he gave them an audition.

He was occasionally a literal "fifth Beatle"

Martin's classical training was put to good use arranging the orchestration of The Beatles's albums, but it had another benefit. His skills on the piano can be heard on iconic tracks such as In My Life and A Hard Day's Night.

He might have been the greatest British record producer ever

Listed as a producer on 30 number-one singles in the UK and 23 in the US, Martin had the Midas touch. Among those he helped to number one are Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Sir Elton John, for his 1997 behemoth hit Candle in the Wind.