The devastating shooting of John Lennon on December 8th, 1980, no doubt goes down in history as one of the most shocking celebrity murders ever, and just a few days shy of the 40 year anniversary of that fateful day, Paul McCartney admits he’s still somewhat in ‘denial’ about the death of his former The Beatles bandmate.
“I rerun the scenario in my head… Very emotional. So much so that I can’t really think about it. It kind of implodes. What can you think about that besides anger, sorrow?” McCartney revealed in a recent interview with The New York Times.
Mere hours after unknowingly signing an autograph for his murderer, John Lennon was shot four times and killed outside his apartment building as his wife, Yoko Ono, watched on. To this day, Paul McCartney still struggles to accept the tragic incident.
“Like any bereavement, the only way out is to remember how good it was with John. Because I can’t get over the senseless act. I can’t think about it. I’m sure it’s some form of denial. But denial is the only way that I can deal with it.”
The former co-lead vocalist and bassist for The Beatles reveals that he tries to do what he can to come to terms with the death of his friend and former bandmate.
“Having said that of course I do think about it, and it’s horrible. You do things to help yourself out of it. I did an interview with Sean, his son. That was nice – to talk about how cool John was and fill in little gaps in his knowledge. So it’s little things that I am able to do, but I know that none of them can get over the hill and make it OK.”
In a heartbreaking revelation, McCartney admits that he still speaks to his buddy when he walks past the funeral parlor where Lennon’s body was taken.
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“But you know, after he was killed, he was taken to Frank Campbell’s funeral parlor in New York. I’m often passing that. I never pass it without saying: “All right, John. Hi, John.” he shared in the interview.
In a strangely intuitive conversation, Paul McCartney remembers John Lennon speaking to him about death, and reassured him of the mark he’d already made on the world.
“I remember one time he said to me: “What are they going to think of me when I’m dead? Am I going to be remembered?” I felt like the older brother, even though he was older than me. I said: “John, listen to me. You are going to be so remembered. You are so [expletive] great that there’s no way that this disappears.”
In honour of John Lennon, read about why we believe the Beatles legacy still lives on, 50 years later.
Check out ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon:
