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Before his whirlwind romance with Yoko Ono, John Lennon was married to his college sweetheart, Cynthia Lennon. It wasn’t love at first sight, though, as Cynthia Lennon revealed that the Beatle wasn’t her “type” in the 2005 memoir John. Here’s what we know about this couple. 

Who was John Lennon’s first wife, Cynthia Lennon?

Musician, singer and songwriter John Lennon (1940 - 1980) of British rock group the Beatles with his first wife Cynthia during the launch of his book 'In His Own Write'
Musician, singer and songwriter John Lennon (1940 – 1980) of British rock group the Beatles with his first wife Cynthia during the launch of his book ‘In His Own Write’ | Douglas Miller/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

He’s one of the Beatles’ songwriters, appearing on songs “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Let It Be.” John Lennon also released solo songs like “Imagine,” often advocating peace. 

While the Beatles rose in popularity, John Lennon began his relationship with his college classmate Cynthia Lennon. Originally born in Blackpool, Cynthia Lennon (born Cynthia Powell) attended the Liverpool College of Art.

Cynthia Lennon didn’t think John Lennon was ‘her type’ when they first met 

In the 2005 memoir John, Cynthia Lennon shared how she met her husband — in college, where John appeared as the self-appointed class clown. 

“When I’d first looked at John I’d thought, Yuck, not my type,” Lennon wrote. “With his teddy-boy look — DA (duck’s arse) haircut, narrow drainpipe trousers, and a battered old coat that was too big for him — he was very different from the clean-cut boys I was used to.”

“His outspoken comments and caustic wit were alarming: I was terrified he might turn on me, and he soon did, calling me ‘Miss Prim’ or ‘Miss Powell’ and taking the mickey out of my smart clothes and posh accent,” she continued. 

Eventually, the two began their relationship, even if it was overshadowed by verbal abuse from John Lennon. (In one passage, Cynthia Lennon described getting slapped by John Lennon after a fit of jealousy.) The two married in 1962 and had a son, Julian, shortly after.

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John Lennon divorced Cynthia Lennon in 1968 after meeting Yoko Ono

After a trip to an art exhibition, Lennon became enamored with activist and artist Yoko Ono. As a result, he and Cynthia Lennon officially divorced in 1968, with Lennon marrying Ono just a few months later. 

Lennon sometimes reunited with Julian, even if Julian Lennon stated in the John foreword that it was a “rocky path” growing up in his father’s shadow. After John Lennon was shot in 1980, Ono and Cynthia Lennon appeared in 60 Minutes together, detailing their experiences with the rock legend. 

“I think we both changed,” Cynthia Lennon said of the reason behind the split. “It was natural that we both change. But I did not want to go down the road John was going… I had nothing to escape. I wasn’t looking for anything else. I wasn’t searching in my mind for new experiences on a mental state.”

Cynthia Lennon died in 2015 of cancer. Both Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono released statements about her.

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