As a bit of an early-midweek gift to punny headline writers everywhere, the L.A. Times reports that a pine tree planted in honor of late Beatle George Harrison has died as a result of being eaten by beetles. There really isn’t much more to add, except that the tree in question was planted in 2004 near LA’s famed Griffith Observatory as a memorial to the Beatles guitarist, who spent his later years in Los Angeles and was apparently a big fan of gardening. The species of insect responsible for this ironic twist of fate remains unclear, although Los Angeles councilman Tom LaBonge tells the Times that Griffith Park has had problems with bark beetles and ladybug beetles in the past. No replanting date has been set for the tree, but the wordplay-adverse are advised to stay away from open mics for the next week or so, until the stand-up comedy community gets this particular bit out of its collective system.
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