40 years ago today, the tragic murder of John Lennon robbed the world of a vital musical talent and one of the world’s most peaceful visionaries. Lennon’s death has always stood as one of those moments where anyone who experienced it can remember where they were when it happened. And as a fitting tribute to the man’s memory, Sir Paul McCartney has shared a throwback photo of the two of them hanging out, during their time as bandmates.
Through his social media presence on Twitter, Sir Paul shared this lovely flashback to a time when the former Beatles collaborators were akin to sharing the same room. After the famed group's breakup, McCartney and Lennon only hung out a handful of times before the latter’s untimely death in 1980. And before those hangouts, a bitter history followed the formerly inseparable pair:
All of those bad feelings were dashed away, naturally, and in the years following John Lennon’s death, Paul McCartney has gone on record regretting that he never got closer with his departed friend. While the intense conflict between the two partners had died out, their friendship was never the same. While John Lennon’s passing may have taken the man himself from us, his legacy and the shockwaves from his assassination have endured throughout the world of entertainment and social activism.
Lennon’s wife and musical collaborator Yoko Ono once used a photo of his bloodied glasses to take a stand against gun violence. Not to mention, there have been films about the legacy of John Lennon and his passing.
One such notable work is the Jared Leto-starring biopic, Chapter 27, which depicted the moments of assassin Mark David Chapman’s life before he executed his plot. And on the lighter side, we saw Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis’ hit alternate history comedy, Yesterday, take its own unique look into the imprint that John Lennon left on the world, specifically what it would be like without the music he and The Beatles created in their heyday.
John Lennon, as well as Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr will always be figures of intense fascination to the world dedicated to music and pop culture. Their contributions as The Beatles, and as solo artists, are so mythic that it’s hard not to want to dig deeper or just remember the good times that were had as a result.
Though it is a tragic day in said history, it’s good to know that Sir Paul still has fond memories of his dear friend and is nice enough to share the photos to prove it. Check back with CinemaBlend for more pop culture-related news, and keep track of movies on the way with our 2021 release schedule.
