What was George Harrison’s final studio album released during his lifetime? The answer is Cloud Nine, released in 1987.
Cloud Nine was Harrison’s eleventh solo studio album and followed a five-year pause in his recording career. He recorded it at his Friar Park home studio in Oxfordshire, working with Jeff Lynne, who co-produced the album. Other collaborators included Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, Gary Wright and Elton John.
The album revived Harrison’s commercial profile. Its biggest single, “Got My Mind Set on You,” reached number one in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom. Cloud Nine peaked at number eight in the US and number ten in the UK, and it also led to the formation of the Traveling Wilburys with Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
A common mix-up is Brainwashed, which is Harrison’s final studio album overall. It was completed after his death and released posthumously in 2002, so Cloud Nine remains the last studio album issued while Harrison was alive.