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Cynthia, George Martin, his wife Judy Martin, and Julian at her book John launch party at Fitzroy Square on September 27, 2005 in London.

Life With a Beatle

"Well, John's married to a non-celebrity, so there you go."

Paul McCartney, 1964

"You can't just erase so many years of living together or the memories."

Cynthia, 1990

John, Julian, and Cynthia at home on the dining room’s floor in Kenwood, Spring of 1965.

Photographed by Henry Grossman

When Cynthia became John's wife, she must have known right from the start that John wouldn't be home often. John started to "tour" outside of Liverpool since around 1959, 1960 - still early on in his relationship with Cynthia. Understandably, Cynthia got it, but it wasn't an easy thing. She wasn't alone: Julian, her mother, housekeeper Dot, Maureen, Pattie, family members, friends, the lot. But they weren't John. But, like their parents before, both fathers Alfred and Charles were part of the merchant sea men, they were gone a lot... (it destroyed Alfred's marriage to Julia yet for Charles he returned home to Lillian and became a commercial salesman... Cynthia had her dad, John did not) and I suppose that's what it felt like for Cynthia: if her mother could live through that than so can Cynthia! In this blog entry, we're going to take a look into life with a Beatle during the touring years of 1964-1966, as well as 1967, on what their relationship was like. 

According to The Beatles press officer Tony Barrow, when he and John drank Scotch at the Speakeasy Club, John mellowed away his Beatle persona and revealed the husband/father side of himself: discussing his deep love for Cynthia, needing her support, and his shame for missing out the majority of Julian's childhood. This showed Tony how normal John's instincts over his family were, how caring he was, and he did care what Cynthia thought or said. Yet despite this, Tony still believed that John and Cynthia were never made to last... Well, he was right as they didn't last. 

"Well, she's beautiful, you know, and what people don't know is how smart she is. No matter what's happening, you know, she's always there for me."

John, 1964

"In two years I went from a bedsit in Liverpool to a mansion in Surrey with gardeners and chauffeurs and a housekeeping allowance of £50 a week. It was enough to blow anybody's mind."

Cynthia, 2000

Overall, their relationship was a good relationship, John and Cynthia were happy at this point. Everything was new and exciting, meeting celebrities, getting to go to exclusive parties, eating luxurious food, riding in a Rolls Royce, and living in a mansion. For John, he definitely saw himself as the breadwinner, going on tours, and risking his life by getting pulled in all sorts of directions - physically and mentally. 

"He'd go from one thing to another, from his notepad to the piano, and then he'd listen to music, gawp at television, and read newspapers. He was basically dropping out from what was happening, thinking about things, and resting. Everything he was doing outside the home was pretty high-powered."

Cynthia, 1987

John, Julian, and Cynthia at home on the dining room’s floor in Kenwood, Spring of 1965.

Photographed by Henry Grossman

By 1966, The Beatles were tired of it. Screaming fans wore off the excitement, the press questions were ridiculous and repetitive, there were also serious talks with the Vietnam war and segregated protests. The sound system to perform sucked, technology isn't is then as it is today with special effects and tape loops to help along the live music... The Beatles couldn't perform anything from Revolver then as they could now. The fun wore out. They wanted to be home and in the studio. 

I am getting a little ahead of myself here. By now, after A Hard Day's Night, John's marriage was now well known, Julian now publicly existed, they settled into Kenwood, and can be an abnormal yet happy family. There were problems - mostly John being out of date on the things going on, particularly Julian. John would leave a baby who couldn't roll over and then arrive home to a toddler that can run around independently. I'm sure that was a bit troubling and had to adjust quickly. I'm sure John felt pangs of sadness that he wasn't able to see Julian's milestones himself (like first steps, first day of school). 

"It was hard for him to come to terms with what was going on at home."

Cynthia, 1999

"As John said, 'Life what happens to you when you're busy making other plans'. The years that followed were so intense that whatever was around the Beatles had to be just totally supportive of them. It didn't bother me, I was very happy to be in the background. I was never one for the limelight, although life changed that for me. John wasn't difficult to live with through it all. We got on like a house on fire. There were inevitable stresses because he was so tired and pressured by all the work that was being done."

Cynthia, 1995

"We had no problems at home. We were two people living in the best way we could under the circumstances. We really didn't have a cross word."

Cynthia

"As far as our marriage was concerned, we got on great. It wasn't the greatest whizzo-active relationship, and once he became a Beatle we didn't go out much and see the sights as husband and wife. But we had holidays with other Beatles and we were strong as a unit in that home."

Cynthia

"I suppose I could have but even when I was living in the mansion in Weybridge, I never blew my money. Sheets and shoes were my only luxury. John and I both came from comfortable homes but he never knew the love and support that there was in my family. So when the whole Beatles thing happened I kept my feet on the ground while he went off on some kind of lunar trajectory."

Cynthia, 2000

"During my first travels with the Beatles in 1964, John was eager to talk about his familyof three. When the subject turned to Cynthia, his eyes, always mysterious and rarely revealing of his mood, would sparkle and dance."

Larry Kane, Journalist 

"It was never an easy marriage... During their time together, I often visited them at Kenwood, John's luxurious house in Weybridge, and it was a much more equal relationship than it is portrayed in any numerous biographies. Certainly, Cynthia liked her sleep and used to go to bed early, which left John to go off into London and behaved like any self-respecting rock star would. But Cynthia was nothing like the clinging wifey that people who have never met the couple seem to imagine. And John was nothing like the rakish, thoughtless, faithless husband."

Alistair Taylor

Q: Do you trust anybody implicitly? (Interview, September 1966)

"Only the other three, and my wife." John 

"As far as I can tell you, we were all friends, we were a group, we were friends and they were playing music together, and happily as far as I know. As with any other sort of relationship, they had their ups and downs. They were only kids. They were just close friends. I can’t say brothers, no. I wouldn’t say that, but very good friends with the same thing in common: music."

Cynthia, 1982

John, Julian, and Cynthia at home on the dining room’s floor in Kenwood, Spring of 1965.

Photographed by Henry Grossman

 By 1966, things were drastically changing. John was getting deeper into drugs, mostly LSD and marijuana. Cynthia didn't do drugs and their relationship started to drift. After The Beatles stopped touring, instead of getting closer, they actually drifted apart. In 1967, Hunter Davies spent some time with them while writing his authorized biography on The Beatles (published in 1968, after John and Cynthia got divorced): on one particular evening, two salesmen came to the door and had an exchange with John while Cynthia made dinner (a slice of melon, cold meat, mash potatoes, and cauliflower). Dinner was served at 6:30. John decided to be a vegetarian and didn't eat the meat. They drank milk (to which Cynthia confirmed that was their dinner beverage). John was having a problem with his tooth, a filling was coming out. When John decided to get a helping of milk from the refrigerator, he drank from the bottle to which Cynthia thought it wouldn't be good for his tooth... I'm wondering if that's the same tooth John pulled out and gave it to their housekeeper, Dot? The tooth went up for auction after her death in 2014, and a dentist bought it. While eating, they watched television with John or Cynthia getting up to change the channel (before the remote control) as they never seem to agree on any programs for more than 10 minutes. After dinner, John continued to stare abstracted while Cynthia read the Daily Mirror and Julian started to draw. Julian would chatter away and narrated whatever he was drawing while John and Cynthia smiled at him. Then Cynthia cleared up dinner, John and Julian went outside for some fresh air. John sat on a step by the pool while Julian threw some oars in and took them out of the pool before going back in the house. Terry Doran arrived, Julian sat on his knee. It was his bedtime, so Cynthia jokingly asked if Julian wanted either Terry or John to put him to bed. Julian picked Terry but Cynthia ended up putting him to bed. Meanwhile, John and Terry shared a joint. Cynthia returned and they watched television until midnight when Cynthia made hot cocoa. Terry left, John and Cynthia went up to bed; John wanted to read this book someone gave them that Cynthia wanted to read first. That was the average evening route of the Lennon family. Cynthia did noticed a change in John: more nicer, quieter, more tolerant, but still doesn't communicate much. Because he wasn't touring anymore in 1967, John tried to get up more earlier than 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Out of the Beatles, I think John was the most laziest and being a homebody - to which I can relate... maybe it's a Libra thing? Sure, we can go to work, travel, etc. but overall staying at home, puttering around, and not being too social the day away is the typical way to live. 

"Perhaps I'm being selfish. It's just easier for me if he tells me things."

Cynthia, 1968

"I don't have to go anywhere now, perhaps a club now and again. Cyn cons me into it. We went to some opening night, some old friend. David Jacobs was everywhere. I went with George. He realized what was going to be like the minute we got to the door but I didn't. I looked round and he'd gone. He never even went inside. But I was in and was stuck. It was horrible."

John, 1968

It was hard to go out now that John was famous and can get recognized. The place, like a movie theater or a shopping department store, would have to be notified in advance so they could empty out or after hours of closing time to let The Beatles shop in peace. 

"But we can't do a simple thing together as a family, like going for a walk. It's terrible. Sometimes I wish it had never all happened."

Cynthia, 1968

Another thing that's been going on was John's habit of zoning out, especially when he watched television. Cynthia would talk to him, but he wouldn't respond. Some commentators would say that he was ignoring her, yet Cynthia didn't mind. George also had the same habit: Pattie would talk to him while George's mind would be zoning elsewhere. Both women chalked it up to song creativity.

"Sometimes I would start to talk and he'd [George] be so deep in thought about the lyrics or the melody he was writing that he was writing that he wouldn't answer. We'd be in the same room but he wasn't really with me: he was in his head. Most of the time I didn't mind. I'd think, Oh, good, he's writing a new song - he was always happiest when he was being creative."

Pattie Boyd, from her book Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me, 2007

"When John wasn't working he lay on the sofa, apparently watching the TV - which he liked to keep permanently switched on - but often a million miles away, lost in a daydream. I'd talk to him and he wouldn't hear me. This was nothing new: he had always been able to 'tune out' his surroundings and the busier his life became the more often he was 'present but absent'. I didn't mind: it was his way of coping with the stresses of his life, and these 'absent' moments were a vital part of the creative process. After an hour or two he'd often get up, go to the piano and start writing a song."

Cynthia, from her book John, 2005

"If I am on my own for three days, doing nothing, I almost leave myself completely. I'm just not here. Cynthia doesn't realize it. I'm up there watching myself, or I'm at the back of my head. I can see my hands and realize they're moving, but it's a robot who's doing it."

John, 1968

Here's a conversation John had with Tony Barrow, year unknown:

"Should we have waited, do you reckon? If Cyn hadn't been pregnant, would I have married her? If the Beatles get really big, maybe I could have a Hollywood film star for a wife!" John

Q: I think one famous person in the family was enough

"We can always have a film star or two as well, can't we? I'd hate to come home to an empty place. I couldn't live on my own" John

Q: You know, you love your own company. Even Cyn says you can go for days without speaking to her. She feels a million miles away from you.

"Ah, but she's not, is she? She's in the kitchen putting the kettle on." John

Cynthia and John at the the launch of The Beatles' Apple Boutique at Baker Street in London, England on December 5, 1967

"She was a really nice girl. I lived just down the road from John and Cynthia in Weybridge. We’d take the kids out — their son Julian, and Zak my eldest. Everyone thinks we were in this cage, but we would live semi-normal lives. If the locals know you, it’s okay. We’d have bonfire night. John would have Julian on his lap and I’d have Zak. Cynthia was a caretaker in many ways. If you were crazy she’d say, ‘Come and sit over here,’ and she’d talk you down.”

Ringo Starr, 2015

"He was definitely on a different planet during the making of Sgt. Pepper. Although for a time the drugs were part of it... I think the drugs destroyed a lot of his creativity."

Cynthia

"Creatively, it’s very difficult to say. I think drugs were an escape at the time. And that’s my view, and they were still – no matter what they did, as far as drugs were concerned, I think they were creative in themselves. So the creativity would still be there. It might be heightened or lessened – but they were still very creative."

Cynthia, 1982

*That’s true. That’s true, because they evolved together from such an early age and they went through so much together, that I think it would be impossible. It was impossible, really."

Cynthia, 1982

"I think those years were our growing years, growing into individuals. And John's path was a different path to mine."

Cynthia, 1995

"Of course there were terrible moments but my life has been fascinating. I lived through a crazy, chaotic and unique part of history and I have a beautiful son because of my marriage to John Lennon."

Cynthia, 1980

"Cynthia was also out a good deal, especially in the evenings, and I soon noticed with surprise how very little time she and John spent in each other's company. In fact such was the irregularity of their respective comings and goings that they had agreed that whoever came home last would sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb the other. The master bedroom, which they normally shared, was actually a vast room on the first floor housing a massive eight-foot double bed and a sunken bath at the far end, and it was here that John loved to lie in till late in the morning. I observed very few dialogues between John and Cynthia, and the only conversation which struck me as significant took place in the study when they were sharing a drink with Freddie and myself from the 'globe' cocktail cabinet. John, spawled out unceremoniously across one of the plush velvet armchairs, was clearly in one of his uncompromising moods. And when the discussion turned to diet, he announced bluntly to Cynthia 'You're getting pretty fat, aren't you?' The tone of the comment was far from jocular, and the recriminating glance which Cynthia threw back at him confirmed to Freddie and myself that things were far from good between them. But in spite of the isolation Cynthia seemed contented and her daily routine was well organized. She was still meditating- a legacy from the Maharishi- and claimed that it was only by meditation that she was able to withstand the pressures she inevitably faced as the wife of a superstar. It certainly must have worked for her as she was always a very calm and serene woman."

Pauline Lennon Stone, Alfred's widow

"Yoko had 10 years and I had 10 years and I would rather have had the 10 years I had than the ones she did. I had the raw talent and the raw human being, before the sycophants arrived."

Cynthia, 2000

“I knew the man up until our divorce – after that I didn’t know the man, but it didn’t stop me caring about him and worrying because of the complete change that I saw in him. He’d lost his sense of humour and he got aggressive; he wasn’t for the world any more, he was just for Yoko. Before that he opened his arms and embraced the world with his wit and humour – afterwards he was a completely different kind of person.”

Cynthia, 2005

Thanks, Mo

On March 30, 2003, I launched a website dedicated to the friendship between Cynthia and Maureen. It was never intended to be a serious-type website, meant to be updated rarely, and a great source to use on this post. Plus, I am the same writer on Cyn & Mo website and this blog, so I don't have to be mad that my work gets 'copied'. No plagiarism claims here! Obviously, the friendship between Cynthia and Maureen is special to me. They saw The Beatles struggle in sweaty smelling clubs to reach for success. Despite the almost 7 years age difference, they stuck together through divorces, new loves, John's death, moving around the world, and Maureen's death. The friendship didn't end there - Cynthia was quite open to reveal how much she missed Maureen. When Cynthia died, one of my first thoughts was picturing Cynthia and Maureen immediately hugging in Heaven. 

Cynthia and Maureen in Austria while The Beatles filmed Help! on location, March of 1965

I can't exactly pinpoint exactly when Cynthia and Maureen met but it was definitely at the Cavern Club. Maureen was a dedicated goer, so they must have encountered before Maureen got involved with Ringo by August of 1962. I like to think that Maureen was one of those "girlfriend defenders" from the other group of fans that were jealous and slag off Cynthia and other musicians' girlfriends whenever opportunity came up. They could have seen each other across the room, chatted, hung out and drank Coca-Cola. I believe Cynthia and Maureen started to get together more often by late-1963 when Maureen's relationship with Ringo got very serious when The Beatles moved to London full time. They really got close when Ringo and Maureen got married on February 11, 1965; Cynthia attended the wedding. Come to think of it, Cynthia attended both of Maureen's weddings! Maureen remarried to Isaac Tigrett on May 27, 1989, and Cynthia was the only "Beatles family circle" to attend. I know for sure Maureen didn't go to Cynthia's weddings to John (1962)  and Noel Charles (2002; Maureen died in 1994); not to Roberto Bassanini (July 31, 1970) but Maureen did go to a later wedding celebration. There is a possibility that Maureen attended Cynthia's wedding to John Twist (May 1, 1976). Well, anyway, the time Ringo and Maureen welcomed their first baby Zak born in September of 1965, they recently moved in Sunny Heights, near Kenwood, in Weybridge, Surrey. Sunny Heights and Kenwood were 10 minutes drive - although Ringo would walk home from John's and John would take Julian on a motorcycle ride to Ringo's. From 1965-1968, John and Ringo were the closest during that time as neighbors, hanging out with each other during free time. The one vacation that they all went was Trinidad and Tobago in January of 1966. There was the India meditation but that was only 10 days and with the company of George, Pattie, Paul, and Jane. 

"I don’t think his marriage will affect The Beatles’ popularity really, but there might be some shuffling of fans from one of the Beatles to another, at least that’s what happened to when news that I was married was revealed.” 

John, 1965

 “I don’t think the two of us being married has had any bad effects on our popularity. Remember, when it got out that both Ringo and I were married, there hadn’t been anybody in such a position as we were in, who had got married. It was Silver disc as opposed to Gold disc, people who’d get married before us!” 

John, 1965

"Ringo had this habit of lighting up two cigarettes, one for Maureen at the same time he lit his own. I remember thinking it was a loving thing to do and wishing John did it for me. But that would have been too obviously demonstrative, maybe, for John" 

Cynthia, 1985

Julian and Zak on a boat in Weybridge

Photographed by Ringo Starr

Do your families associate with one another socially? (Press Conference, 1966)

"Oh yeah. Our wives mix together. Our parents don't mix together much. Well, no, I mean, they don't see each other every day." John 

"St. George's Hill. I lived there until '69. John and I were both in St. George's Hill and George was in Esher and so the three of us were in the same area. Paul was the man about town at this time. He liked to take his dog for walks on Hampstead Heath and places like that. I mainly saw John in that period because we lived a couple of block from each other. We used to spend practically every weekend together. We'd edit 8mm film and have fun- sometimes hysterical fun. I'd walk home. John had Julian and I had Zak so we'd try to do the fatherly things. We'd try to do manly things too; we'd go to the pub and bring Maureen and Cynthia a Babycham or something- a real Liverpool attitude. One Bonfire Night that we had at my place, John and I decided to show our kids (they must have been two and three) some fireworks. We went and bought all these fizzy ones. We'd smoke a lot of herbalized stuff so we didn't want anything really loud. We were doing this whole set up and sitting around, relaxing a little and we went outside to give the babies this big show and everything we bought just exploded! Exploded! What the kids must have thought, I don't know because the grown-ups were going 'Ow! Ow! Aaaagh!' We were so shocked we had to go back inside. And that's what makes our children what they are today."

Ringo Starr, from his book Postcards from the Boys, 2004

"Cynthia and Maureen were the closest, partly because they were Liverpulians in exile and had this additional bond, but also because Pattie often bowed in and out of the circle to undertake modeling commitments. Jane Asher was a very occasional fourth participant but this was a country-based girlie group and townies like Paul and Jane didn't fit into the pattern. All three women were unashamedly fans of The Beatles and would often ring my office to find out about forthcoming tour or recording dates rather than pressing their partners for the details. When Cynthia, Maureen, and Pattie got together it was usually in the kitchen, for many cups of tea or coffee if it was middle of the day or several bottles of win if it was the afternoon. There were two main types of topic for discussion among this close-knit clique: family gossip that circulated solely within The Beatles' own tight inner circle and the wider issues that arose from sometimes scandalous rumors that was rife among the group's fans. I saw this group as the glue that helped to hold The Beatles' marriages together at least for the time being. To share happiness and sorrow, success and disappointment, was a good way of patching up the cracks as soon as they appeared. As part of such a warm and secure little group they felt more at ease than if they had been dealing with the traumas and crises of their extraordinary lives on their own. But for the sharing of information on the perks, pitfalls, problems, and sheer insanity of successfully partnering a Beatle, the womanfolk might have teetered on the brink of despair or simply broken free even sooner than they did. It is to their credit that these faithful first partners kept their lives so private over the years. The media would have agreed to almost any conditions to get their individual stories, but I was never allowed to fix any interviews or photo shoots for the women other than at general photo calls for show business functions or exclusive pictures to mark weddings and births."

Tony Barrow 

"I loved Maureen, she was down to earth, honest, and if she had known of Ringo's infidelities while she was in Liverpool, I wouldn't have reckoned much to the chances of the girl or girls in question if she had found out. She was madly in love with Ringo and would have fought tooth and nail with anyone who had the nerve to try and take him from her. Ringo knew this, of course, and must have been a panic many times in case of in discreet gossip or thwarted lady friends telling all. As it happened, Ringo was lucky enough to get away with it in the face of incredible odd and loyal friends... Maureen was really incredible with Ringo, especially when the boys were recording until the early hours of the morning. Instead of going to bed, she would wait up until the morning. I, on the other hand, would spend all morning trying to keep the house quiet in order that John could sleep until the usual two o'clock in the afternoon. I would then creep upstairs and serve him breakfast in bed with tea and the newspapers. They really were cosseted at home."

Cynthia, from her book A Twist of Lennon, 1978

"Far from being a shy little thing, Maureen was talkative, full of laughter and great fun: we all liked her enormously and thought she was good for Ringo. John and I were delighted when they came to live close by. Initially they'd live in Ringo's one-bedroom flat in Montagu Square, close to London's Hyde Park but, like us, they needed more space and greater privacy. All the Beatles' women got on with each other, but Maureen, who was one of the most down-to-earth, honest people I ever knew, became my closest friend. After their son Zak was born in September, seven months after the wedding, she and I used to go up to Knightsbridge to shop. Anthony [the Lennons' chauffeur] would drop us off and we'd do the rounds of Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and the designer shops in between, then stop for lunch in a smart little bistro. We'd buy cute little outfits for our sons and we were always on the lookout for something different of special for the men. We loved to surprise them with a psychedelic shirt, a piece of ethnic jewelry, or I would buy John a new plectrum for his guitar... Much as Maureen and I enjoyed our outings, she always made sure she was home for Ringo when he came in. Such was her devotion to him that she would stay up sometimes until four in the morning to greet him with a home-cooked meal. She wanted him to feel loved and care for and, like me, she had been brought up in a family where women did the caring and nurturing while men provided. We often went over to their house and hung out with them; it was always party time at the Starkeys'. Ringo was gregarious and fun loving, a clown and a joker with an infectious laugh. Together, he and Maureen made an irresistible double act, both extroverted and uninhibited. Ringo had installed a replica pub in the front room, which he called the Flying Cow. It had a counter and till, tankards, mirrored walls and even a pool table. He'd nip behind the bar to serve us all drinks while Maureen supplied us with endless plates of food. It was a cozy, comfortable house with what felt like the ultimate luxury at the time: a TV- usually switched on- in every room. They had large grounds, in which Ringo had built in a go-cart track. He and John would race the go-carts or play pool while Maureen and I chatted over a cup of tea or took Zak and Julian for a walk. Ringo's other passion was making his own short films. He had lots of equipment and loved to experiment, so after the nanny had taken over Zak and Julian we'd watched his latest movie. One was a fifteen minutes study of Maureen's face. Innovative, perhaps, but not the most riveting entertainment."

Cynthia, from her book John, 2005

I suppose the "last" time Cynthia and Maureen saw each other as Beatles Wives is between after Cynthia and John returning from India and before Cynthia going to Italy where she received news her marriage ended. Cynthia have often said no one (except Paul McCartney) reached out to her - it's believed they didn't want John's wrath on them. Sounds ridiculous, yet it can happen (I know some people like that), John did have a temper. Okay, so, the silence didn't last long. I don't know how... for all I know Cynthia and Maureen ran into each other at a train station. Or restaurant. Or a mutual friend's house. Whatever it was, by August 1970, they were reconnected. After Cynthia and Roberto Bassanini got married at the end of July 1970, they decided to celebrate a housewarming celebration in their home. John and Yoko came, as did George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Paul and Linda McCartney, and Ringo and Maureen. I'll discuss more of this party on another day, but the thing is that from this point on Cynthia and Maureen's friendship was solid. 

"Just as I was bedded down, Maureen phoned from London. She'd been trying to reach Cyn to wish Julian a happy birthday but we'd been out almost the whole night. Their telephone conversation took off from the 60s as if it were just yesterday. (Cyn wears a diamond ring given to her by Maureen, which she wears with her father's wedding band, and a cameo.) This is when I learned Ringo and Barbara would be married April 27th in London. Cyn and Mo are the best of friends and it's through their friendship that Zak and Julian met, though the miles apart make seeing each other difficult. Maureen managed to get Julian a gold key to the London Playboy Club for his birthday!"

Rita Hansen, 1981 

"I still keep up with Maureen and Pattie occasionally. But I don't see the others."

Cynthia, 1988 

"On and off when we're in the vicinity. It's so difficult to catch anyone. If I'm here in London, Maureen's in Los Angeles, and Pattie's somewhere else!"

Cynthia, 1991

Maureen and Cynthia at the Mayfair Suite of the Hanover Grand in London attending the launch party for Grapefruit on January 19, 1968.

Ringo and Maureen got divorced in July of 1975 (separated since late Summer of 1974) - in divorce papers, Nancy Andrews was named as the adultery reason but off the books it was really Maureen's affair with George Harrison. Whatever rage Ringo may have felt with one of his best friends with his wife, he certainly went out of his way to be the one to get blamed publicly in order to protect Maureen; Ringo didn't want their three children to hate her and, well, can you imagine the press? Especially the fans? Personally I think the fans hold more of a grudge than the person who actually experienced the situation. Look at what happened with George Harrison/Pattie Boyd/Eric Clapton saga. Could you imagine the dirt the media and fans would've frenzied over two Beatles and a wife triangle? It probably still thrive as it does for Eddie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds/Elizabeth Taylor about 60 years ago and all three have passed on. Both Maureen and George have passed on, and obviously whatever happened got buried and they moved on: George got together with Olivia, Ringo eventually with Barbara Bach, and Maureen with Isaac Tigrett. Ringo, despite his hurt and pain over his marriage, continued to protect Maureen and for that I will always admire him. Ringo and Maureen remained connected until her death - which I'll get to momentarily. Anyway, back to Maureen's relationship with Cynthia! In December of 1980, Cynthia traveled to London on business from North Wales and stayed with Maureen. As I already posted before, Ringo called Maureen with the news, and she woke up Cynthia to tell her that John had been killed. Maureen accompanied Cynthia to North Wales and offered her home to Julian as shelter to get away from the press. In 1982, Maureen and Zak attended Julian's birthday party and in 1989, Maureen was a frequent customer at Cynthia's short lived restaurant, Lennon's. As I mentioned earlier, Cynthia attended Maureen's wedding to Isaac in 1989. I know there were certainly a lot more gatherings than I counted.

Unfortunately, I don't know when Cynthia and Maureen last saw each other. In May of 1994, Maureen collapsed at Isaac's House of Blues restaurant opening and was soon diagnosed with leukemia. I know Cynthia saw Maureen during those months, but the details are very vague. Maureen died on December 30, 1994 in Seattle where she was receiving treatment with Isaac, children Zak, Jason, Lee, and Augusta, her mother Florence, and her ex husband Ringo at her bedside. After Maureen's death until her own in April of 2015, Cynthia expressed quite frequently (mostly at Beatle conventions) how much she missed Maureen. Maureen was 48 years old.

"We've shared life's ups and downs. With the Beatles, and without. I was staying with her when John was killed. But Maureen did not live in the shadow of the Beatles." 

Cynthia, 1994 after Maureen’s death

"I've kept many of the friends John and I had in our Liverpool days and mourned others. Maureen, Ringo's ex-wife and a dear friend to the end, died of leukemia when she was only forty-seven. Only a few years earlier, we had been at her wedding to Isaac Tigrett, owner of the Hard Rock Cafe. Both Isaac and Ringo were at her bedside when she died, with her three children by Ringo and Augusta, the daughter she had with Isaac."

Cynthia, from her book John, 2005

Maureen and John boarding on a flight from London to Austria for The Beatles' second film, 'Help!' in Spring of 1965

As for John and Maureen's relationship? I tend to think of it as brother-sister type relationship. I don't believe there was an affair (there's a claim that John had affairs with Cynthia's closest friends) ever between them. Once John got together with Yoko, a wedge of divide struck and they started to hang out less and less. No drama or anything, Yoko and Maureen did get along but I wouldn't call them besties. They famously sat next to each other on the rooftop concert on January 30, 1969. Maureen has had her own fair share of Apple meetings with The Beatles, Allen Klein, lawyers, Linda, and Yoko. Honestly I think Linda and Maureen were closer at that brief point. In October of 1971, Ringo and Maureen went to New York to celebrate John's birthday with Yoko and Neil Aspinall. By then, John already abandoned England and would never return (not to sound horrible about it as John did plan to return to his home country before he died so he did intend to return). In December of 1974, George Harrison was in New York for his Dark Horse tour at Madison Square Garden. John was supposed to join him on stage, but it never worked out. Anyway, Chris O'Dell invited Maureen over from London and stayed at the same hotel as George (with his new girlfriend Olivia Arias), Chris, as well as John and May Pang. According to Chris (and my own perspective), Maureen seemed anxious and nervous to see John. Maureen and Ringo's marriage was in the divorce process by this time, probably was the first time Maureen saw John and George without Ringo. Chris went to get Maureen a drink from the hospitality room where George and John were and a little later stopped at Chris's hotel room to say hello. They reminisce. I believe this may have been the final time John and Maureen saw each other. 

"I was married from before The Beatles left Liverpool, that never made any difference. Cyn didn't have a career like Yoko does, but Pattie had a career - that never upset it. Maureen is a fantastic artist in her own right as well, apart from bringing up that tribe of Ringo's. She also is an artist, and it is nothing to do with wives."

John, 1971

"John is the funniest person you’d ever want to meet. You could never know when he was being serious. That’s John for you!" 

Maureen Starkey, 1988

I already covered John's death, how Cynthia and Maureen were together at the time. Maureen accompanied Cynthia to North Wales and made herself busy by making tea. A few months later, on April 27, 1981, Ringo remarried to Barbara Bach. Despite being in a serious relationship with Isaac Tigrett for some years already, Maureen started to have a nervous breakdown: her hair started to fall out.

"I was always very close to John, then I heard on a newsflash that he'd been shot. I couldn't take it in at first. I was in a state of shock. I went into trauma, and my hair began falling out. First it was small handfuls, then huge lumps. It looked as though I'd go bald." 

Maureen Starkey, 1985

"Nothing we did seemed to help her, and she was continuing to loose her hair. So I flew to Southern India, and my guru gave me a special medal and told me to go straight back to Maureen with it. Just fourteen hours later, I placed it around her neck and immediately she felt better. Within days her hair was growing back."

Isaac Tigrett, 1985

Ringo and Maureen celebrating with John on his birthday, October 9, 1971, in Syracuse, New York

For the Book

Cynthia and Julian posing together during a photo session for her book, John, in Spain, 2005. The last two (same photo: black and white and original color photograph) was used as a back cover for U. K.'s published version (U. S. used a 1964 picture by Harry Benson for it's published version).