Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon's first wife, dies at 75, Beatles family pays tribute

Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of the late John Lennon, has died. She was 75.

Her death was announced by a rep for her only child, Julian Lennon, on Wednesday. She died at her home in Mallorca, Spain, following a short battle with cancer. Julian, her son with John Lennon, was by her side.

“The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time,” the statement read.

Julian also posted a music video in memory of his mother. It features the song “Beautiful” from his latest album, Everything Changes, and pictures of Cynthia.

Cynthia, born Cynthia Powell, married Lennon in 1962, before the Beatles became an international phenomenon. Even while she raised Julian, she was mostly kept out of the public eye during Beatlemania, as Beatles manager Brian Epstein wanted to keep the marriage a secret. The two divorced in 1968, when John Lennon began his relationship with Japanese artist Yoko Ono.

“Brian [Epstein] wanted a lot of adulation from the fans. He wanted a lot of support from the fans,” Cynthia told NPR in 1985. “If the lead, the main man in the group was found to be married, then it might take away from that particular success, so I walked around pregnant for quite a long time, hiding it. In fact, I was asked many times if I was John's wife, and I had to refuse and say, 'No, no, I'm somebody else.’”

While Cynthia married three more times in her life, she never had any other children. She remained open about her life with Lennon, giving interviews and writing two memoirs. A Twist of Lennon was published in 1978. A second, titled John, was published in 2005.

You can check out our 2013 interview with Julian Lennon here.

photo by Mike Wolff