Helenmoonstone_myblog: 'We two women stood firm in the Beatles family': Yoko Ono pays tribute to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia

2015年4月5日星期日

'We two women stood firm in the Beatles family': Yoko Ono pays tribute to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia

Yoko Ono has led the tributes to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia calling her a 'wonderful mother' with a 'strong zest for life' after she died at the age of 75 following a short battle with cancer.

The second wife of the Beatles singer said she was 'very saddened' by the news, adding that she was 'proud' how she and Cynthia had 'stood firm in the Beatles family'.

Cynthia, who married Lennon after meeting him in college, died yesterday at her home in Spain. A message on her son Julian's website said he was at her beside throughout, and the family 'are thankful for your prayers'.

Yoko Ono has led the tributes to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia, posting this photo of the two women with their sons Sean and Julian. She wrote underneath: 'When we were very happy together'

This memorial website set up for her by her family carried an image of her surrounded by a love heart and a brief statement explaining she had died after a 'short but brave' battle with cancer

In the statement, Yoko said: 'I'm very saddened by Cynthia's death. She was a great person and a wonderful mother to Julian.

'She had such a strong zest for life and I felt proud how we two women stood firm in the Beatles family. Please join me in sending love and support to Julian at this very sad time.'

Yoko also posted a picture which had been taken in 2010 of the two women with their sons, Julian and Sean.

She captioned the picture: 'When we were very happy together.'

Cynthia Lennon, nee Powell, married Lennon in 1962 and stayed with him as he rose to global stardom with The Beatles until the couple divorced in 1968.

But the pair divorced in 1968 after Cynthia discovered her husband's relationship with the Japanese artist.

Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr added their condolences.

Writing on his website, McCartney, 72, said: 'She was a lovely lady who I've known since our early days together in Liverpool. She was a good mother to Julian and will be missed by us all, but I will always have great memories of our times together.'

After years of trouble, the marriage finally ended in August 1968 when Yoko Ono discovered she was pregnant.

Fearing a lengthy divorce process, the couple settled outside of court, with Lennon agreeing to pay Cynthia £100,000 and give her custody of Julian.

The divorce prompted Paul McCartney to pen the Beatles' classic Hey Jude to help Julian cope with his parents' separation. He changed the name Julian to Jude in the song.

The line 'take a sad song and make it better,' is about the Lennons' broken marriage and its impact on their son.

Cynthia learned of Lennon's death on 8 December 1980, while she was staying with friends in London.

She married Italian hotelier Roberto Bassanini in 1970, divorcing him in 1973. In 1976, she married John Twist, an engineer from Lancashire, but divorced him in 1983.

In an interview to publicise one of her books, 2005's John, she told Good Morning America: 'I have read so many books and seen so many films, and it's like we don't really exist. We are like walk-on parts in his life. We did spend 10 years together.'

Recalling their early days, she said: 'You couldn't resist being around him. You couldn't resist watching what he was up to. I mean, he was a total rebel. Everybody was amazed by him.'

Author Hunter Davies, who wrote the only authorized Beatles biography in 1968, described Cynthia as a 'lovely woman'.

He said that unlike John, she was 'quiet and reserved and calm' and 'not a hippy at all.'

He said their friends at art school never thought the relationship would last because they were so different.

In her book, Cynthia described being mistreated by John. Julian was their only child together.

He said: 'When I was writing the book I spent two years with them, visiting her home and spending time with her.

'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.

DIVORCE PAPERS SHED LIGHT ON THE LENNON'S RELATIONSHIP

A never-before-seen dossier detailing the bitter breakdown of John Lennon's marriage to his first wife Cynthia was uncovered in February after nearly 50 years.

The five-page document, drafted by the solicitors dealing with the Beatle's divorce in 1968, reveals details of his increasing drug use and his affair with Yoko Ono.

It centres on claims made by Dorothy Jarlett, Lennon's housekeeper of four years, on what she saw while working at the Lennon family home Kenwood in Weybridge, Surrey.

The papers detail his mood swings, aggressive behaviour towards his young son Julian and heated arguments between him and Cynthia.

Mrs Jarlett describes how Yoko Ono would visit the country pile while Cynthia was out of the country, and how she once found the pair in bed together.

She reveals how Lennon became nonchalant towards his wife around 1967 - five years after they tied the knot - when the Beatles were at the height of their fame.

She said Lennon was uninterested in playing the father figure role and that he would smack Julian if he misbehaved.

The statement was made to Herbert Oppenheimer, Nathan and Vandyk - a firm of solicitors in London employed by Cynthia following the breakdown of the marriage.

The document has never been seen before because Lennon and Cynthia settled out of court, with Lennon agreeing to pay her £100,000 and give her custody of Julian.

Cynthia and her son Julian pictured together in 2006 at the opening of The Beatles' LOVE by Cirque du Soleil

Cynthia was often left to look after the couple's son Julian (pictured together in 2011) at home by herself as Lennon traversed the globe with The Beatles