Yoko's Tribute for Cynthia

Photographed by Bob Gruen

"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. Love,"

Yoko Ono, 2015

A short statement wasn't enough for Yoko; so she wrote a longer statement that she submitted to Rolling Stone magazine.

"Cynthia was a Hoylake girl, which meant she was from a district of Liverpool a notch above where the members of the Beatles all came from. John met her in the Art School, and was immediately taken by this straight-A student, who also had a warm mischievous smile. A professor who was always in a tweed jacket with a pipe in his mouth, as John put it, gave a 'friendly attention' to her which irritated John to no end.

Indeed, one could not help noticing Cynthia’s zest for life, and the beam of sunshine coming out of her eyes. She already embodied love and peace in her quiet manner. The 'boys' as they were called forever, behaved differently when she was in the room. I wonder how much her presence encouraged the group to go all the way to the top.

Since my son Sean is also a mom-and-son boy, my pain of Cynthia’s sudden departure is very deep. It was a big shock to everyone. You never know what deal life cuts for us.

It seems like only yesterday, when we four met, Cynthia, Julian, Sean and me. I thought she was looking like a young girl with strong love and pride for her son, Julian, who managed to have his photo exhibition in New York City, known for being a difficult place for artists to be successful. We were a family.

Being a single parent of a strong and intelligent boy is never easy. Cynthia and I understood each other in that way, wishing well for our sons and their future. It’s hard to imagine what this totally unexpected turn means to her only child. I don’t want to go there.

Please join me in giving love and support to Julian at this very trying time for him. Thank you."

Yoko Ono, 2015

Both are nice statements from a widow for an ex-wife. My wondering curiosity peaked when she mentioned that John got irritated by a professor taking an interest in Cynthia. Never heard of that one, although it's more amusing that John even mentioned that to Yoko. Same with him being immediately smitten with Cynthia; I can't imagine John mentioning that to Yoko. Guess he did! I wonder what else he told Yoko about Cynthia that we don't know about? I know that a certain amount of people criticized Yoko for these tributes as she was the catalyst of their divorce. However, it was a no-win situation. If Yoko hadn't done these and be silent, Yoko would surely get criticized for being quiet; damned if she did, damned if she didn't. I may not be Yoko's biggest fan, but I can say that these were nice and I believe they were genuine from the heart. I do think that the news shattered Yoko more than we all know. Whatever happened in the past, you can't argue that Yoko and Cynthia had two things in common: both loved John and both had his sons. I think in some ways, especially from their exchange at Mimi's funeral in 1991 that Yoko looked up to Cynthia's parenting and used the inspiration for raising Sean. Kyoko was still a child when Yoko last saw her in 1972ish until the 1990s, so the teenage years of raising a minor was very new for her. I have noticed in the years since Cynthia's death that Yoko has been more warm with Julian. I don't know if they've seen each other recently after Cynthia's death - certainly must have communicated. Yoko included Julian in the recent Imagine book and documentary Above Us, Only Sky. Yoko also recently included Julian on John's death anniversary of missing John on December 8th. To be on the record, Yoko did include Julian in her letter used against her husband's parole hearing some years back, before Cynthia's death. For his part, Julian hasn't complained about Yoko other than praising her. So,who knows?

Both photographs of Yoko and Cynthia at Julian's photography exhibition at Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York City on September 16, 2010. The second photo with Sean and Julian.