Tributes have been pouring in for the late George Martin - the man that gave The Beatles their big break. Stars of the music world have hailed him as a "visionary", "musical genius" and "the greatest British producer of all time."

Martin helped The Beatles achieve global success as the head of the Parlophone record label after hearing their demo tape in 1962. The Liverpool quartet had been turned down by every record company as they tried to make it in the music business.

Not only did Martin give the band their record deal, but he brought their visions to life and pieced together their recordings from fragments of tape amassed during long hours in the Abbey Road studios.

Ringo Starr and George Martin accept an award at the 2008 Grammys

Martin's manager Adam Sharp paid tribute to him as "a true gentleman to the end".

In a statement Sharp said: "The family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages of support.

"In a career that spanned seven decades he was an inspiration to many and is recognised globally as one of music's most creative talents. He was a true gentleman to the end. The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time."

The Beatles' Ringo Starr, lead the Twitter tributes with the message: "God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family love Ringo and Barbara. George will be missed."

Starr then shared a picture of Martin with the Fab Four, captioning it, "Thank you for all your love and kindness George peace and love xx"

Mark Ronson also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Martin saying, "Thank you Sir George Martin: the greatest British record producer of all time. We will never stop living in the world you helped create."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's son Sean shared an image of Martin to his Instagram account with the message, "R.I.P. George Martin. I'm so gutted I don't have many words. Thinking of Judy and Giles and family. Love Always, Sean."

You Raise Me Up hitmaker Josh Groban said Martin's legacy makes his time spent in the Abbey Road studios extra special, "Every time I record at Abbey Road I geek out and play with the mics Sir George Martin used. What an ear, what a life, what a legacy."

Lenny Kravitz made reference to the number of musical greats that have already passed away this year posting alongside an image of Martin in the studio with The Beatles, "The legends are really going home! Visionary producer of #TheBeatles, George Martin (1926 – 2016)."

Red Hot Chilli Peppers star Flea - real name Michael Peter Balzary - posted on Twitter, "George martin. Wow. People made records that were that good."

Liam Gallagher tweeted simply, "Sir George Martin RIP LG x"

Guns 'n' Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum also paid his respects to the "legendary" producer.

Martin shares a seat with a statue of John Lennon in a park in Havana, Cuba in 2002

People outside of the world of music have also been tweeting about Martin's influence, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron saying, "Sir George Martin was a giant of music - working with the Fab Four to create the world's most enduring pop music."

Piers Morgan posted images of Martin at work with the caption, "RIP Sir George Martin. The 5th Beatle, producer extraordinaire & a musical genius"

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