Deià

 

The Last Time

Kyoko and John arriving at the police station in Majorca, Baleares Islands, Spain on April 23, 1971 during the custody battle between Tony Cox and Yoko Ono. It would be the last time John and Kyoko saw each other.

Artist Starting Over

 

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). 

Her Final Love: Noel

"All my life I have been searching for my own heart, and with Cynthia I have found my heart. My life is my home, and my home is where the heart lives."

Noel Charles, 2012

Noel Charles

Noel Henry Charles was born on December 20, 1940 in Trinidad to Henry Joseph Braithwaite (changing his last name to Charles) and Drucilla. His parents were very religious, his father was a Preacher while owned a shoe making and repair business. Noel had an older (adopted) sister Dorothy and a younger brother Courtenay. Behind his father's back, his mother abused Noel and Courtenay while Dorothy was the favorite spoiled child. In 1958, while attending London School of Economics, Noel becomes involved with a woman named Sonja, who was studying radiology. Noel worked as a social secretary for the student union at college and got an insight of night clubbing when he went to The Cromwellian. However his girlfriend Sonja got pregnant. They decided to put their daughter Lisa with foster parents while they were more focused on their studies. Noel and Sonja soon welcomed another daughter Penelope; but when she was born, Noel was living in Trinidad for four months. When he returned, Sonja had left Noel and vanished - she got married, and reclaimed Lisa from faster care system. Noel reunited with Lisa in the 1970s but never met Penelope. He left his school job worked at The Cromwellian for two years before going to Mallorca, where he met Alexandra Gefvert and moved to Sweden in 1967. They married and opened a restaurant & nightclub, Alexandra's in Sweden, which ran until 1988. In 1972, Noel and Alexandra opened another nightclub in Barbados, also called Alexandra's, but by 1976, they divorced. Noel moved around over the years (Mustique, Canada, New York, Sweden, England, then back to Barbados); After his divorce, Noel remarried to Victoria Richmond in 1984. They had a daughter, Chloe, the following year. After 6 months after Chloe's birth, the marriage fell apart and Noel left, yet they remained married for many years. He got into a relationship with Ann Eklund and they had a daughter, Rosanna, in 1989. 

Noel and his first wife, Alexandra

Noel and girlfriend Ann Eklund, with whom he shared a daughter Rosanna with.

In 1981, while in London, Noel met Julian Lennon at a nightclub, Tramps, and became good friends. Although Noel wasn't in the music business, he knew the people who were and tried to connect Julian for a record deal. 

"Noel Charles is the older brother I never had and also, in many ways, the father I always wanted. Today he remains one of my dearest friends"

Julian

During the Christmas holidays in 1998, Julian went to Barbados with Cynthia and her best friend Phyllis Mackenzie. Cynthia had recently broken up with Jim Christie (who fell in love with another woman and they announced it during a dinner party hosted by Jim... and Cynthia. Yikes! That's more worst than how Cynthia found John and Yoko together: Jim's breakup happened at a party!) Cynthia noticed Noel being around, Julian introduced them. At first, although they enjoyed each other's company, Noel and Cynthia rubbed each other the wrong way. However, a year later when Julian and Cynthia returned to Barbados to celebrate Christmas and New Years, Noel and Cynthia clicked. On New Year's Eve of 1999, Noel, Cynthia, Julian, and friends went out for dinner, then to Harry's Crocodile Den bar. Noel and Cynthia went to his home where they consummated their relationship on January 1, 2000. Julian and his friends took notice! Since their first meeting in 1998, Cynthia and Noel discuss writing memoirs; Cynthia offered her home (with two bedrooms) in Normandy for Noel to write in peace and quiet with no distractions. Noel promised to consider the idea. When they saw each other again a year later, Cynthia asked the book's progress and that her offer still stood. By the time Cynthia's flight was due, she and Noel were lovers; he agreed to move in with her and left Barbados that same day. 

"We're extremely happy."

Cynthia, 2000

“She’s awesome, I love her, and she’s supportive of my music. But that’s about where it ends.” 

Chloe Charles, Noel's daughter, 2013

After settling in Mallorca, Spain in a village called Bendinat, Noel propose to Cynthia. In May of 2002, Noel and Cynthia traveled to Toronto, Canada to visit his daughter Chloe and to settle Noel's divorce from Victoria. Once the divorce became official, Noel and Cynthia decided to get married in secret at City Hall on June 7, 2002, while the world was paying more attention to Paul McCartney's pending marriage to Heather Mills (on the 11th). Cynthia had previously swore off marriage after her third divorce in 1983, yet Noel managed to sweep Cynthia off her feet to walk down the aisle for the fourth time. Noel's friend Mel helped arrange the wedding, her boyfriend Nick gave Cynthia away, with Chloe and a friend of hers. Afterwards, they celebrated their wedding at Mel's apartment with champagne and McDonald's breakfast takeout. Julian was unable to attend but called in with his congratulations. 

"Julian moved here and said, 'you’ve got to come and live here', so we came! Simple as that. Julian was thinking about having a property for all of us to live in, together. We went all over the place, mainly the South West. This was the last house we looked at, we all just fell in love with it. But then Julian found another house and we ended up with this!" 

Cynthia, 2007

Life in Mallorca and with Noel was most likely the happiest Cynthia had ever been. Noel protected her, gave her the privacy she craved, had money to live on and to travel, and did not falter in the shadow of John Lennon. Noel had his fair share of mingling with celebrities and royalty. Noel and Cynthia went everywhere together, including Beatle events. I would say that Noel was Cynthia's love of her life, not John, though John was her first love (I know people would disagree with me, but after seeing photos, videos, and personal testimony, I stand by my belief). Noel and Cynthia were inseparable and socialized with friends frequently.

"I’m not really an ex-pat sort of person, I relish the fact that we have Spanish friends, we have German friends and a cross section of people whom we’ve met over the past five years."

Cynthia, 2007

Once a week, Noel and Cynthia would dine at La Cuchara.

"It’s really wonderful. The King Of Spain goes there. Peter, the owner is an old friend of Noel’s, probably his oldest friend, they went to college together and they’ve ended up on the same island."

Cynthia, 2007

Noel and Cynthia also loved to shop and would visit other cities in Spain. 

"One thing that is wonderful about Palma, is the shops, the fashions, the shoes, the leather…. and the prices! My husband and Julian are the real shoppers, they make sure that I’m well dressed!"

Cynthia, 2007

"I love Soller, if I didn’t live here I would live in Soller, I just love it. You have the mountains and you have the sea and you have the real character of Mallorca. And they have the most amazing events going on in Soller. But yes, if we weren’t here, that would be my move."

Cynthia, 2007

"Mallorca has something very very special… I’ve always said wherever I’ve lived, 'this is IT, this is it I love it', but….this is why you can never say never, or never say this is it forever…you never know what’s around the corner. I am very grateful that Mallorca was round the corner for me five years ago."

Cynthia, 2007

Noel and Cynthia in St. Martin's in January of 2011

Photographed by Chloe Charles

I think Mallorca may have been the longest place Cynthia had lived in, followed by Isle of Man. Unfortunately, fairy tales eventually came to an end. By 2010, Noel was diagnosed with prostate cancer; he died on March 10, 2013. He was buried on March 15th. Noel was Cynthia's longest husband by 10 years, 9 months, and 7 days; when he died, Cynthia became a widow ... probably something she never thought she'd be after her three divorces.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I bring this news to you today that my mother Cynthia’s husband, stepfather to me and friend for over 30 years, Mr. Noel Charles, passed away from cancer, on Mother’s Day, while sleeping … He was the greatest of men on so many levels, and brought much love and laughter to those all around and within his company. We raise a glass to the joy and happiness you brought us all. May you start building that nightclub in the sky A.S.A.P. as there’ve been a lot of mutual friends waiting for you. You will be remembered every day, and someday we shall all meet again.” 

Julian, 2013

“In the end, the love of her life was a man named Noel Charles. He brought her out of her shell and was her protector. When he passed away a couple of years ago, I saw the light go out in her eyes.”

May Pang, 2015

“It never goes, darling, that’s all I can say. Today I’m content. But content doesn’t last forever – it can last for just half an hour, an hour . . . two hours. At this particular point, I am content.”

Cynthia, 2014

Cynthia continued to live for 752 days after Noel died. I believed she continued to travel but literally shunned away from the public eye. Cynthia only made one public appearance for her son's White Feather Foundation gala, and only did one interview a few months before her death to reestablished herself as an artist. Since 2007, Cynthia and Noel took in a couple from Ukraine, Andreas and Natalie, to help with domestic duties and lived on their property. The following year, they had a son named Julian. Cynthia even drew the family in the last year of her life.

“They live with their little boy at the bottom of the garden. When Noel was really ill, Natalie and her husband Andreas were like angels. If God doesn’t come, he sends. When I lost Noel, my brain was all over the place. That’s why I did the picture. It was therapeutic. It made me feel calm. It made me feel positive.”

Cynthia, 2014

 

Love in Marbella

Cynthia with her boyfriend, Noel Charles, on June 6, 2001 in Marbella, Spain. They would get married the following year, almost exactly a year later (June 7, 2002). 

Coming Home From Spain

John and Cynthia Lennon, with Neil Aspinall, leaving Spain to go home in England after John finished filming How I Won the War on November 6, 1966

How I Won the War

John and Cynthia in Almeria, Spain while filming How I Won the War

On August 29, 1966, The Beatles took their final tour bow at Candlestick Park Stadium in San Francisco before heading home to an unknown phase of life. Well… John already knew: he already agreed to have a supporting role in Richard Lester's movie, How I Won the War. John also knew that he was going to spend more time with his family, and, let's be honest here: his drugs. At the time, marijuana and LSD were the favorites. But more about drugs another day. Between August 30th until September 5th, John was domestic: putting Julian to bed, puttering around the house wondering what to do now that touring was off the table.  On September 5, 1966, John flew to Germany to have his hair cut and adopted a new look with granny-glasses to become Private Gripweed. How I Won the War was John's sorta first project outside the Beatles. I say sorta because he did publish two books of his drawings and writings (In His Own Write in 1964, A Spaniard in the Works in 1965) that had nothing to do with The Beatles. Technically, his 3rd project outside The Beatles. But it was the first time he spent a longer time away from The Beatles: almost 3 months!

This time around, John could be able to have Cynthia with him… actually he had Cynthia with him a year before while filming Help! in Austria. But that was a good 2 weeks. Cynthia joined John now in Spain and stayed with him for the reminder of the time. Two weeks into filming, Cynthia traveled to Spain to be with John. He wanted to get into the groove of filming before Cynthia went to join him. In her 2005 book John, Cynthia claimed that Julian was with them but due to lack of evidence of photos and even a postcard Cynthia wrote, Julian was at home in England and starting his new school, Heath House, with his grandmother Lillian and housekeeper Dot. When Cynthia joined John on the set, he was so happy to see her that they spent some quality alone time together. John asked his driver (Les Anthony, I presume) to leave while waiting the typical long wait of filming…

"I had met John when he was not yet known and the Beatles played in small clubs in Liverpool. We loved each other a lot, but in a hurricane in the early days was not easy being the wife of a Beatle. When the tour ended, he came to Spain to shoot this movie, and I met him two weeks later, in October 1966. He was one of the most beautiful moments as a couple. I was in the desert, stuck in the car. He opened the window and called me over. We made love right there."

Cynthia, 2006

“And we got to know each other again ..."

Cynthia, 2006

Yep… John and Cynthia had sex in his black Rolls-Royce on the set of How I Won the War in Almeria, Spain. I don't know where in what point in the movie, but in general, I haven't looked the movie the same way again since that quote was discovered! I wonder if anyone saw them? Maybe quickly averted eyes and focused on getting next scene ready. Anyway, John wasn't the only one with family visiting: his co-star Michael Crawford had his wife Gabrielle Lewis and their first daughter (of two) along with the nanny with him. So, Cynthia had company while John filmed

Maureen and Ringo Starr traveling from England to Spain to keep John and Cynthia company

John and Cynthia first stayed in Delfin Verde (The Green Dolphin) near  El Zapillo, but the hotel was drabby, not a great place to stay. By the time Ringo and Maureen Starr joined them by October 4th, they moved into a villa Santa Isabel on Camino de Romero around John's birthday. Spain was a different world from England.

"I had never seen so many women together with a veil and dressed in black and they had never seen a couple so pale skin and colorful costumes. They looked at us like we were aliens. Those days were a haven of peace after a very hectic time . John was able to escape the mania, think of yourself in your future, and compose one of his most beautiful and enigmatic songs, Strawberry Fields Forever. Although my favorite is still In My Life."

Cynthia, 2006

"It was completely different from what we knew, I had never seen a woman dressed all in black."

Cynthia, 2006

Ringo and Maureen came in to keep John and Cynthia company. John must have felt alone and was happy to see familiar faces as he was in a whole new separate world.

Cynthia, Maureen, and Ringo on the set of How I Won the War watching filming from a safe distance

“I never actually went to John's villa. I know that Neil Aspinall was with him. I'm not sure about Cynthia. I think she came out to visit, whether she was there all the time or not, I don't know. Ringo came out with Maureen.”

Richard Lester, 2013

I'll give Richard (I refuse to call him Dick, a horrible nickname) a pass for not remembering that Cynthia was there because he was busy and focused on the film. Plus, he is in his 80s.

While staying at Santa Isabel, it turned out to be haunted. To soothe the restless spirits, they sang old war songs and lit candles.

“The so-called villa was owned by a baron somebody or other who charged exorbitant rent. The property was damp, tatty, and very depressing. It was only when Maureen and Ringo came out to join us for a holiday that we decided to find ourselves somewhere more comfortable, large enough to house us all for the remainder of the filming...The electricity kept going off and to top it all Maureen woke up one morning with her nightdress tied back to front in a knot. She had tied the ribbons in bows. She was adamant that Ringo was not the culprit.”

Cynthia, 1978 A Twist of Lennon

“When Maureen and Ringo flew out to join us for a holiday it was an excuse we needed to find somewhere better. We searched out a vast villa with its own pool- we were told it had once been a convent. No sooner had we moved in than we discovered the place was haunted. Light would keep going off, objects would move mysteriously and we all felt a strange presence. We planned a party to cheer the place up. As thunder and lightning raged outside, we lit dozen of candles in the huge main room. In the flickering candlelight the atmosphere softened and someone began to sing. Everyone joined in and the most beautiful, melodious sound filled the air. It was as though we were totally in harmony, musically and spiritually. After half an hour the lights suddenly came back on and the spell was broken, but it was easy to believe that we had been guided in our son by the spirits of the nuns who had once lived there.”

Cynthia, 2005 John

"It was a haunted house. The lights were off and ignited. You could hear strange noises at night. On one occasion, we celebrate a holiday and stayed in the dark. We spent the night singing songs of War world. Now that I think it is normal to see us as aliens. We had so little world that we tried the seafood and fish and chips to feed them."

Cynthia, 2006

"Once the light went off for more than half an hour, we lit some candles and began to sing traditional British songs of World War II"

Cynthia, 2006

"There, strange things happened. Things moved, the lights went off and on Once the light went out for more than half an hour, we lit some candles and started singing traditional English songs from World War II.”

Cynthia, 2006

Aside from the haunting experience, John wrote Strawberry Fields Forever. I don't know when Ringo and Maureen returned back to England, however after filming wrapped by November 6, 1966, John and Cynthia went home back to England. Right after John and Cynthia came home, he met Yoko Ono. I now wished John and Cynthia would have stayed in Spain a bit longer, turn it into a vacation of just the two of them for a few days… things would have been so different!

"But he also changed his attitude, he came back with more confidence."

Cynthia 2006

Cynthia in front of Santa Isabel villa that was abandoned before becoming a museum in 2006

In 2006, Cynthia returned to Almeria and saw the abandoned villa of Santa Isabel where she and John stayed. The villa was soon repurposed as the Museum of Cinematographic and Performing Arts of Almeria. Cynthia must have grown fond of Spain as she and husband Noel Charles moved to Majorca and spent her remaining years there… possibly the longest time Cynthia ever lived! Majorca and Almeria are about 12 hours away (by car).