Why Cynthia Lennon Avoided Speaking About John Lennon Publicly After His Death
In 2005, Cynthia Lennon released her autobiography John, detailing her experience living with The Beatles member. Before that, however, the celebrity explained that she tried to avoid “the Lennon Legend.” Here’s what we learned about Lennon’s first wife.
Who was Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon’s first wife?
To the world, John Lennon was a songwriter and vocalist for The Beatles. The musician was also husband to Cynthia Lennon, born Cynthia Powell. The two were married in 1962.
Together, Cynthia and John had a son — Julian Lennon, born in 1963. After John Lennon met Yoko Ono at an art exhibition, he quickly fell in love. As a result, he divorced Cynthia Lennon in 1968 and married Ono shortly after.
Cynthia Lennon turned down interview offers after John Lennon’s death
John was published in 2005. The autobiography detailed Cynthia Lennon’s relationship with John — and her experience in the Beatles’ inner circle. The author also explained her choice to abstain from most interviews after Lennon’s death.
“In the early days, I said no to most of the offers and requests I received,” Lennon wrote in the introduction. “But in the end, I realized there was no escaping the Lennon legend, or that I had been a part of it. So occasionally, when the project was worthwhile or I needed to earn a living, I said yes to the requests and opportunities that came my way.”
“I even talked about my relationship with John a few times — which I had refused to do for several years after we split up,” she noted. “I wrote a book back in the seventies, and after John’s death, I helped out with a biography about him and gave a couple of magazine interviews.”
The two had been divorced for several years at the time of Lennon’s death. She later detailed her experience learning of the murder in 1980.
“Following John’s death, I had an experience of coming downstairs in the house I lived in North Wales, and [Julian] was sitting at a piano with his back to me, and he was singing a very soulful song,” Cynthia said, according to NPR. “And I had to do a bit of a double take; it was a very strange feeling.”
Yoko Ono released a statement after John Lennon’s death
At his time of death, Lennon was deeply involved with his second wife, Yoko Ono, who he married in 1969. The two wrote, recorded, and released music together, including “Happy Xmas (War Is Over.)” They also hosted their infamous “bed-in” protests for peace.
According to Smooth Radio, after Lennon’s death, Yoko Ono issued a statement: “There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean.”
