Paul McCartney shares rare photo for John Lennon’s 81st birthday
<p dir="ltr">Paul McCartney posted a rarely seen photo featuring himself and John Lennon for what would have been Lennon’s 81st birthday over the weekend.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The black and white photo is of the iconic songwriting duo holding their guitars under their chins, as if they were violins, and is accompanied by the caption, “Happy Birthday thoughts for John - Paul”.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Lennon shared his birthday with his son, Sean, and Yoko Ono posted a message for the pair on her own Instagram over the weekend, writing, “Happy Birthday John! Happy Birthday Sean! I love you! yoko”. Sean turned 46 over the weekend.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Drummer Ringo Starr shared lyrics from Lennon's most famous solo single, 'Imagine', last week, as well as a photo of the cover of The Beatles' final album,<span> </span><em>Let It Be,<span> </span></em>accompanied by the caption, 'Why hunger'.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Lennon was shot and murdered by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980, at the age of 40, in the archway of the Dakota in New York City. Yoko Ono took to Twitter on the 40th anniversary of his death last year to remember him, writing, "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him."</p>
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<p dir="ltr">The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience.<br />After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him.<br />'Imagine all the people living life in peace.'<br />Yoko Ono Lennon<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/enoughisenough?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#enoughisenough</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/peace?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#peace</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/guncontrolnow?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#guncontrolnow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gunviolence?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gunviolence</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nra?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/guns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#guns</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gunsafety?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gunsafety</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/firearms?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#firearms</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/endgunviolence?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#endgunviolence</a> <a href="https://t.co/TsHWuCdu2Y">pic.twitter.com/TsHWuCdu2Y</a></p>
— Yoko Ono ☁️ (@yokoono) <a href="https://twitter.com/yokoono/status/1336308015465689088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">In a candid <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/10/it-was-john-who-wanted-a-divorce-mccartney-sets-the-record-straight-on-beatles-split" target="_blank">interview set to air later this month</a>, Paul McCartney finally sets the record straight on The Beatles’ break up, clarifying that it was Lennon who “wanted a divorce”, not him. “I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">McCartney describes it as the most difficult period of his life, and says he would have happily continued making music with The Beatles if not for John’s desire to “break loose”. He agreed with the assertion that the band’s musical journey could have been much longer, saying, “It could have been. The point of it really was that John was making a new life with Yoko. John had always wanted to sort of break loose from society because, you know, he was brought up by his Aunt Mimi, who was quite repressive, so he was always looking to break loose.”</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Getty Images</em></p>
