Paul McCartney Says John Lennon Worried About How People Would Remember Him After He Died

Paul McCartney reflected on the life of his close friend and musical collaborator on his podcast, ‘McCartney: A Life in Lyrics’, as he revealed that Lennon, who was 40 when he was killed outside his apartment in New York City, was nervous about how he would be remembered postmortem.

“I remember him saying to me, ‘Paul, I worry about how people are going to remember me when I die,’ and it kind of shocked me,” McCartney, 81, recalled on the podcast, reports People magazine. “I said ‘OK, hold on, just hold it right there. People are going to think you were great, you’ve already done enough work to demonstrate that’.”

The bass guitarist continued: “I was like his priest. Often I’d have to say, ‘My son, you’re great, don’t worry about it,’ and he would take it. It would make him feel better.”

As per People, he also reflected on how well he and Lennon worked together on the episode, which was titled ‘Here Today’ in reference to the 1982 solo track he released in light of his friend’s death the year before.

“If anyone asks me, ‘What was it like to work with John?’ The fact was it was easier, much easier, because there were two minds at work. And that interplay was nothing short of miraculous,” McCartney said. “Now I’m conscious that I don’t have him, very much. And you know, often we’ll sort of refer to, ‘What would John say to this? Is this too soppy? He would’ve said da da da, so I’ll change it.' But my songs have to reflect me, and you don’t have this opposing element so much. I have to do that myself these days.”