John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980 at the age of just 40-years-old. It had been a decade since The Beatles broke up, but some fans wondered if he’d truly made up with Paul McCartney before his untimely death. During his last hours, the star gave his final interview and actually had some lovely things to say about his songwriting partner.
Express.co.uk previously spoke with Kenneth Womack, author of John Lennon 1980: The Last Days In The Life. Instead of focusing on his murder, the book celebrates all the creative activities the Beatle was up to during his final year.
When asked if Lennon and McCartney were truly made up by the time of his death, the author said there was clear evidence that this was the case. Womack said: “I do think so. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I think they were good in the ways they needed to be.” He shared how Lennon had very positive things to say about McCartney during his final interview with San Francisco DJ Dave Sholin, just hours before the shooting.
Womack said how Sholin had told him: “God, I wish I’d recorded [John talking about Paul].” Nevertheless, the journalist recounted exactly what he heard the star say about his former bandmate, which was particularly touching.
Lennon told Sholin: “He’s like a brother. I love him. Families, we certainly have our ups and downs and quarrels. But at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, I would do anything for him. I think he would do anything for me.”
Womack commented: “I imagine Paul finds great solace in that.” Macca expressed how he does just that in a more recent interview.
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When promoting his lockdown album McCartney III, the 80-year-old said: “We had certainly got our friendship back, which was a great blessing for me. And I now will often think, if I’m writing a song, ‘OK, John — I’ll toss it over to you. What line comes next?’ So I’ve got a virtual John that I can use.”
Lennon, who would be 82 today, is survived by his wife Yoko Ono, 89, and his sons Julian Lennon, 59, and Sean Ono Lennon, 47.