John Lennon was killed four decades ago and by 2021 was still one of the highest-earning deceased celebrities.
The legendary musician was shot outside of his Manhattan apartment in 1980 when he was just 40 years old. John Lennon's fortune and fame has only grown since the tragic incident, and the activist would have turned 82 on October 9, 2022.
At the time of his death, John was worth roughly $200million (£178million), roughly $800million (£715million) after adjusting for inflation, according to Grunge.
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At the time of his death he was married to his second wife, Yoko Ono, 89, and most of his wealth passed on to her and Sean Lennon, 46, the son they shared. However, the celebrated musician had another son, Julian, 59, with his first wife Cynthia Lennon, who fought for over a decade to get his share of the inheritance.
Cynthia and John met in 1957 when they were both attending lettering classes as part of their studies at the Liverpool College of Art. In a 1966 Melody Maker interview, the singer had gushed about the new-born Julian saying he wasn’t “keen” on any other child and that Julian “does marvellous things which no other baby ever does”.
The Beatles had somewhat formed at this point, although playing as the Quarrymen, and Cynthia would often accompany them along with Sir Paul McCartney's girlfriend at the time. When Cynthia and John eventually started dating, they had an on-and-off relationship until she fell pregnant in 1962. The couple got married a month later at the registry office in Liverpool.
At the same time, the phenomenon of Beatlemania was beginning to sweep the UK and John reportedly performed a concert on the same day he got married. Few fans know of John’s first wife, which was, it is believed, due to the Beatles’ first manager, Brian Epstein, who allegedly asked him to keep his marriage and son a secret so they wouldn’t alienate fans.
After Cynthia’s death in 2015, biographer Hunter Davies recounted visiting her when he was writing The Beatles: The Authorised Biography.
According to Wales Online he claimed: “She was totally different from John in that she was quiet and reserved and calm. She was not a hippy at all. I think it was the attraction of opposites between them. When they got together at art school everyone was amazed — she was seen as refined and reserved and nobody thought they would last."
The couple divorced in 1968, after Cynthia returned from a Grecian holiday to find Yoko and John together in their marital home. Julian saw very little of John from here on, although he had rarely seen his father to begin with as he was often on tour or performing with The Beatles.
John and Yoko would later marry and have a son, Sean. After John’s death, Yoko took control of his estate and received a majority of it along with Sean while Julian reportedly inherited $66,729 (£59,600) and $100 (£89) weekly royalty payments from the estate.
Julian battled Yoko in court for 16 years after John’s murder according to Tower Street Finance, and eventually, they reached a settlement out of court. Although the settlement figure wasn’t published it was estimated to be around £20million.
Julian, unfortunately, would have to use most of this to purchase his father’s sentimental items from auctions. He revealed on The Dini Petty Show in 1999 that he even had to buy back the letters he wrote to his father.
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