Paul McCartney Recalls Devastating Time After John Lennon's Death: 'Couldn't Speak'

Paul McCartney can still freshly recall the grief he experienced after learning about the death of his "The Beatles" bandmate, John Lennon.

Every year since December 1980, The Beatles fans recall the tragic death Lennon experienced after an obsessed fan murdered him. Recently, McCartney became the latest bandmate to reflect on the singer's death and how it left him in deep grief.

Speaking during a recent interview with SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel, the "Riding to Vanity Fair" singer reflected on his "Here Today" song and how Lennon's death led him to compose and record it. He added that things were so difficult that he could not talk about his late bandmate publicly.

"I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died and turning the TV on and seeing people say, 'Well, John Lennon was this,' and 'What he was, was this,' and 'I remember meeting him,'" he said, according to Rolling Stone. "And it was like, I don't know, I can't be one of those people. I can't just go on TV and say what John meant to me. It was just too deep. It's just too much. I couldn't put it into words."

Instead of forcing himself to speak about Lennon, he let his emotions calm down by writing the song "Here Today."

The Beatles member recalled going to his recording studio to compose the opening chords of the song while recalling the night he and Lennon cried together in Florida. At that time, the band failed to play due to a hurricane which led them to have drinks instead.

At that time, the two exchanged their "I love you" and opened up to each other.

John Lennon's Tragic Death

Lennon died on Dec. 8, 1980, after an obsessed fan named Mark David Chapman shot and killed him at a close range.

He did not leave the crime scene and waited for the police to arrive. He told the authorities that he did the crime after Lennon said, "The Beatles were more popular than Jesus" in one of his interviews.

According to Chapman, he knew it was wrong to kill Lennon, but he had evil in his heart and was seeking fame when he shot the singer. He added that he planned the murder for months and guiding himself through the book, "The Catcher in the Rye."

The murderer remains imprisoned as of press time as he repeatedly failed in securing a parole 12 times.

Tags

Paul McCartney, The Beatles, John Lennon