John Lennon's First Wife Cynthia Lennon Dies at 75

ByMICHAEL ROTHMAN ABCNews logo
Wednesday, April 1, 2015

John Lennon's first wife Cynthia Lennon died today at her home in Spain. She was 75.

The British native "passed away today at her home in Mallorca, Spain, following a short but brave battle with cancer," a representative told ABC News in a statement. "Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout. The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time."

Lennon was the first wife of the Beatles great and the two were married from 1962 to 1968.

As stated in the announcement, Cynthia and John had one child together -- Julian, 51.

Cynthia met the legendary musician while the two were both studying at the Liverpool College of Art in the late 1950's. Lennon eventually married Yoko Ono in 1969 after the couple's split.

After Lennon was murdered in 1980, Cynthia and Ono both spoke to "60 Minutes" about the singer.

"He's made his mistakes, on the front pages of newspapers, all over the world," Cynthia Lennon said. "But he bared his soul for everybody else to see."

When asked what led to the famed split, Cynthia said, "I think we both changed. It was natural that we both change. But I did not want to go down the road John was going ... I had nothing to escape. I wasn't looking for anything else. I wasn't searching in my mind for new experiences on a mental state."

Cynthia Lennon was married three more times after the 1968 split, most recently being widowed in 2013 when her husband Noel Charles died.

She is survived by her son Julian, who posted an "In Loving Memory" video on YouTube that starts with the lyrics, "You gave your life for me. You gave your life for love." The video is coupled with intimate pictures of the Lennon family from the 1960's.

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