As a bandmate Paul McCartney The Beatles would later be noticed John Lennon The short life was full of tragedy.
He grew up in a turbulent family environment after his father Alfred He left his mother at an early age Julia Leave her sister Mary “Mimi” Smith With his upbringing, Jun's family life was never smooth.
When John became an adult, he welcomed two sons, Julian Lennon, 61 f Sean Ono Lennon, 49 years old – and he was a very different father to both of them before his sudden death at the age of 40 in December 1980.
These days, the brothers “face the demons together,” according to Julian in an interview with Respected In 2021.
After 55 years, Julian Lennon has made peace with 'Hey Jude'. Julian, 60, recently spoke about the song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort him during the divorce of his parents, John Lennon and Cynthia Lennon (née Paul). “It was ‘Hey Jules’ at first, but that wasn’t good rhythmically,” Julian told Esquire (…).
“It's funny because there was always, especially in the British press, the 'Lennon boys feud', this, that. We've never had a fight in our lives and he said, 'He's such a bull.'
Scroll to learn more about key family members throughout John's life.
Julian Lennon
Julian and John Lennon.
(Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)John's foray into fatherhood got off to a controversial start when W Then a girlfriend Cynthia Powell They discovered they were expecting a baby after failing to use contraception.
When John (then 21) discovered that Cynthia (then 22) was pregnant, he decided they should get married – and the couple tied the knot in 1962. Their son, Julian, was born in April 1963, but John missed the birth due to his responsibilities with his wife. The Beatles.
While John was around for the first few years of Julian's life, he eventually became a… Cynthia left for Yoko Ono He had a tense relationship with Julian for most of his life.
Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son, suffers from cancer. Julian, 61, confirmed his diagnosis in a lengthy X post on Wednesday, December 18, where he shared photos of his recovery. Well, here's how it goes… Before I fly to New York from Los Angeles, for the Good Morning America Sirius XM, iHeart Radio, and My Fotografiska Q&A book signing event, (…)
Julian later reflected on his difficult relationship with John in an interview with The Guardian In 2020.
“Then suddenly my father literally disappeared off the face of the planet. At least, that's what it seemed to me. He and Yoko Ono were deeply and openly in love. 'I felt as if my mother and I had been tossed aside,' he told the outlet. 'Maybe 10 years had passed since I hadn't My father and I barely talk during it. I was so angry about the way he left the family. Thanks to my mother we started conversations again. She was a gentle soul, never vindictive in any way or form. She always wanted me to have a relationship with him.
Julian, who is the inspiration behind Paul McCartney The song “Ya Joud” was written for him After John and Cynthia divorced, he also shared that he eventually reconnected with his father before he died.
“I was scared when I went to visit him for the first time in the United States after my parents divorced. I became more aware of the size of this man,” he said. The Guardian. “To my relief, the visit was a success. My father was charming, funny and warm. Since that trip, I remember we have been getting on much better.
Sean Ono Lennon
Sean Ono Lennon and John Lennon.
(Photo by Vinny Zofante/Getty Images)In stark contrast to Julian's parenting style, John was a more experienced father the second time around.
John welcomed his youngest son Sean into the world in October 1975 with his second wife, Yoko, and took a break from music to become a stay-at-home husband.
In an interview with Playboy Which took place in September 1980, and was published in January 1981, John shared how successful he was in taking on this role.
“I was baking bread and taking care of the baby… because baking and babies, as every housewife knows, is a full-time job,” he told the magazine at the time.
Unfortunately, John was fatally shot In December 1980, when Sean was only five years old.
talking to Rolling Stone In 2020, Sean spoke about how his father's death affected him and explained that he still has memories of his father when he was alive.
“A lot of people don’t remember when they were five years old,” he said during the interview. “I never asked a psychiatrist, but I assumed my father's death was so traumatic for me that a lot of those early memories remained. I have more memories of when I was five and four than when I was 16.
Julia and Alfred Lennon
John and Julia Lennon.
(Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)John's parents Julia and Alfred Lennon They first met as teenagers and married secretly a decade later in 1938. John was born in 1940 but his parents did not raise him – Julia allowed her sister Mary “Mimi” Smith To raise her son.
Fellow Beatle McCartney spoke about John's troubled upbringing at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.
“When he was a child, his mother was told that she wasn't good enough to raise him… His father left home when John was three. So that's not very cool,” recalls the 82-year-old McCartney. “It made me realize why he had this vulnerability. I've always admired the way he handled it because I'm not sure I would have handled the things he went through so well.”
Legendary rock band The Beatles are releasing new music more than 50 years after they split. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have teamed up to complete the group's unfinished final single, “Now and Then,” which will be released on Thursday, November 2. The tune was originally written by the late John Lennon and worked on by McCartney, (…)
Julia was tragically killed after being hit by a car at the age of 44 in 1958. John was just a teenager at the time.
“That was another big shock for me. I lost her twice. When I was five and she moved in with my aunt, and then she physically died.” Playboy In 1980. “And that made me feel even more bitter; The chip on my shoulder when I was young had become quite large at that time. I was just re-establishing a relationship with her and she was killed.
John and Alfred were estranged for most of their lives but reconnected with Alfred on his deathbed in 1976.
Mimi Smith
John was raised by his Aunt Mimi and her husband George Smith. Mimi and John remained close throughout his life. Following his success with the Beatles, John bought a property for Mimi in Dorset, UK, where she lived until her death in 1991.
