Crossword Genius

Void produced by Epstein and Beatles ultimately failing to take moral lead (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

emptiness

'void' is the definition.
(I know that void can be written as emptiness)

'epstein and beatles ultimately failing to take moral lead' is the wordplay.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'ultimately' says to take the final letters.
'failing' is an anagram indicator (a failed spelling of the word).
'to take' indicates putting letters inside (inserted letters are taken in).
'lead' suggests taking the first letters.
The last letter of 'beatles' is 's'.
The initial letter of 'moral' is 'm'.
'epstein' after 's' is 'sepstein'.
'sepstein' anagrammed gives 'eptiness'.
'eptiness' placed around 'm' is 'EMPTINESS'.

'produced by' is the link.

(Other definitions for emptiness that I've seen before include "Lack of substance" , "Vacancy, void" , "Vacuity" , "Void state" , "Void; hunger" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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