Paul and Linda McCartney

    In today's age of huge quantities of celebrity marriages and just as many divorces, Paul and Linda McCartney set an example. They were one of few celebrity couples to survive the pressure cooker life style of fame, and the strain this puts on a marriage. Their love was magnifiscent and legendary. In their nearly 30 year marriage, they never spent a night apart, voluntarily. Sadly, this all came to an end in April of 1998, when Linda succumbed to breast cancer. Their great affection and true love for one another will forever be the beacon on the hill to other celebrity couples wishing the same.

    Linda McCartney was not what was thought of as a typical wife for the "Cute Beatle". First, she was American, and second, she was not traditional, much like her perceived nemesis Yoko Ono (although there was no true rivalry there). Linda was a very promising photographer that was never grounded to her high status and family name. She was born Linda Eastman, daughter to the prominent attorney, Lee Eastmen. Like Paul, she too, lost her mother at a very young age. Linda was always free spirited, and travelled much in her early adulthood. She married early, and had a daughter Heather in 1963. The marriage, obviously, did not work out, and she was divorced.

   In 1965 she attended The Beatles Shea Stadium concert (note, she was not the only future Beatle wife there, as Ringo's second wife, Barbara Bach was also present). At the time, her favorite Beatle, interestingly enough, was John Lennon. Around this time she acquired a job as a photographer for a rock magazine. Through this she met various celebrities such as Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones, all of whom she brilliantly photographed. She was offered a chance to photograph the Beatles. She flew to Britain, and went out the night before (or at least some point before the shoot I believe), and happened to go to the same club as the only unmarried Beatle, Paul McCartney. Paul was captivated by her, and she him, and they ended up going to another club together. They parted, and he saw her again at the phot shoot where she took one of the more famous picture of the Sgt. Pepper release. Paul and Linda then found ways to contact one another, one story told is that she slipped him her number and he eventually called and invited her to stay with him after he broke up with his long time girlfriend, Jane Asher. Linda brought about an awakening Paul, because of her free spirit. They would often drive around and Linda would try to convince Paul to get lost, or at least try to. They shared many similarities, and Paul wished to marry her.   However, because of her previous failed marriage, she was reluctant. But then, she found that she was pregnant with their first child together, and so they married on March 12, 1969. Linda was NOT well liked by the public. She had stolen the last free Beatle in their minds. She,like Yoko, was blamed for the Beatles break up, although not to the same extent.

     During and after the Beatles break-up Paul hit a deep depression. Constantly drinking, not bathing, and eventually not getting out of bed. It was Linda who inspired Paul, and who reassured him, he was a talented songwriter, he did NOT need the other Beatles to survive. And so, with Linda, Paul created his first solo album, "McCartney", which contains one of the greatest love songs of all time, "Maybe I'm Amazed". He later asked Linda to join his new band, Wings, and taught her to play keyboards, and she eventually became competent.

    The only time Paul and Linda were ever separated was in early 1980 when he was arrested in Tokyo, Japan for a large quantity of marijuana possession and put in jail for 10 days. In 1984 Paul was arrested AGAIN, but this time Linda was arrested as well, and they were not separated.

    Together Linda and Paul championed the cause for the rights of animals.   With their fame and wealth they helped bring an awareness to various cruelties in the world, and were some of the first to go "veggie" even when it was not popular. Linda wanted to spread the cause even further and she did so by trying to convert meat eaters to eat vegetarian. She devised recipes that tasted like regular meat, but were meat free, and put out a cuisine of vegetarian foods. She also put out a few recipe books and made quite a name for herself as a humanitarian with Paul.

   In the early 90s, Linda discovered an abnormality in her breast. It was discovered to be cancerous; eerily reminiscent of Paul's mother. She went through chemo treatments and surgery, and her cancer went into remission, but then in early 1998 it was discovered that the cancer had moved into the liver and other parts of the body. In April of 1998, she passed away in her beloved home in Arizona, surrouned by her family.

   Paul has since carried her legacy on by introducing the Linda McCartney award for people who champion the cause of animal rights. He has also never failed to mention her at any of the awards he receives, and although he has since found a girlfirend in former model Heather Mills, it has been said that he carries her wedding band in his back pocket. A token of their great love.