Late Beatles Star John Lennon’s 2 Kids Are Carrying on His Legacy: Meet Musicians Julian and Sean

John Lennon rose to fame as a vocalist and guitarist of The Beatles, the iconic British rock group that sold over 1.6 billion singles since their rise in the 1960s. The songwriter welcomed his two sons, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon, before his death on December 8, 1980. Meet his two children who are carrying on his legacy with music careers of their own.

Widely regarded as the most influential rock band of all time, The Beatles soared to the top of the charts in the U.S. and U.K. with hits like “Hey Jude” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The group’s success was due largely in part to John’s songwriting skills and the leadership role that he took on over the years. At the height of his fame, John married his first wife, ​​Cynthia Lennon, in 1962.

The pair met at art school while they were both in relationships with other partners. After spending time together, they both decided to break up with their other partners and give their relationship a shot. Cynthia and John wed after she found out she was pregnant. They welcomed their son, Julian, on April 8, 1963.

John and Cynthia were officially divorced on November 8, 1968, years after John met his second wife, Yoko Ono, for the first time. Cynthia died in 2015 at the age of 75 after battling cancer. John and Yoko became musical collaborators and were married on March 20th, 1969. The couple took some time apart during their marriage and John began seeing May Pang with Yoko’s blessing. John and Yoko reconnected and welcomed their son, Sean, on October 9, 1975.

Shortly after Sean’s birth, John took a step back from music to focus on raising his young son and repairing his marriage. News of John’s murder at the hands of Mark David Chapman devastated the entire world in 1980. Julian was 17 at the time of the tragedy. In a 2020 interview on BBC Radio, Julian recalled the last conversation he had with his father.

“Dad and I had been getting on and speaking a lot more on the phone, you know. When I was sort of 15, 16 and 17,” he shared. “I just remember I was living in North Wales at the time and I’d spent six months or a year in boarding as well and I’d finally come home. And I was living at mom’s house and I was finishing up at school. I remember him playing ‘Starting Over’ over the phone, he just mixed it.”

In the years since their father’s death, both Julian and Sean pursued music careers of their own. As they both continue to carry on their father’s legacy, Sean told NME in December 2010 that John was “one of a kind.”

Scroll to meet John’s two surviving children, Julian and Sean.