The Lennon-McCartney songwriting combination was one of the most successful of all time, with the Beatles selling over 600 million records worldwide as of 2004. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney were young children, they forged a connection that would eventually transform the trajectory of popular culture.
However, the Beatles‘ status as the most influential cultural phenomenon in history created its own set of emotional and financial demands. As a result, the band separated in 1970. John Lennon and Paul McCartney would have personal disagreements, and McCartney lamented not being able to resolve their friendship before Lennon’s sad death in 1980.
Paul McCartney once commented, “I felt it was unfortunate that we never actually got down and worked out our issues. But, thankfully for me, the last phone conversation I ever had with him was excellent, and we didn’t have any major disagreements. It might have been any of the numerous phone calls where we yelled at each other and slammed the phone down.”
He said, “It was just a very joyful talk about his family and my family. Sean was an important part of his life, which he was thoroughly enjoying. And thinking about moving forward with his career. I recall him saying, ‘Oh, God, I’m like Aunt Mimi, padding around here in my dressing gown,’ [or] robe, as he called it since he was picking up American lingo. I’m feeding the cats in my robe, cooking, and making a cup of tea. This housewife wants a career! It was his time. He was preparing to launch Double Fantasy.”
In 1980, Mark Chapman assassinated John Lennon beneath the Archway of his Manhattan apartment in New York City. The occurrence stunned the world, and music fans around the world mourned the untimely death. He was one of the most famous and influential musicians of all time.
McCartney stated in 2020: “It’s difficult for me to think about. I played out the scenario in my imagination. Very emotional. So much so that I am unable to think about it. It kind of implodes. Aside from wrath and sorrow, what are your thoughts about that? As with every bereavement, the only way out is to remember how good things were with John.
He continued, “I can’t get over the senseless act. I cannot think about it. I am convinced it is a type of denial. But denial is the only way for me to deal with it. Having said that, I do think about it, and it is dreadful. You take steps to help yourself out of it. I interviewed with Sean, his son. It was good to chat about how cool John was while also filling up some of his knowledge gaps. So there are a few things I can do, but I know none of them can go over the hill and make it okay.”
