EXCLUSIVE: Why Paul McCartney is Really Haunted by John Lennon's Death — As Beatles Icon Grapples With a Fractured World
Paul McCartney has reflected on John Lennon’s death.
May 31 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Former "peace and love" hippie Sir Paul McCartney is said to be increasingly haunted by John Lennon's death and the collapse of the peace-driven ideals they once believed could change the world, as ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran leave the Beatles legend fearing humanity may never achieve the unity imagined in Lennon's iconic anthem Imagine.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the ex-Beatle recently reflected emotionally on his late bandmate during an interview for BBC Radio 2's Tracks Of My Years while promoting his new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane.
McCartney promoted his brand new solo album during the broadcast.
McCartney, 83, used the chat to revisit tragic assassination victim Lennon's 1971 anti-war classic Imagine and revealed how deeply the song still affects him decades after his late bandmate – whose Beatles tracks included All You Need Is Love – was murdered outside New York's Dakota building in 1980, aged 40.
McCartney's conversation on his old friend's musical legacy comes amid renewed global tensions, including the continuing war in Ukraine and escalating instability involving Iran – conflicts friends told Radar have left McCartney increasingly despondent about the prospect of lasting peace.
McCartney told the BBC: "(Imagine is) just one of John's great songs. There's so many tracks you can choose. You start getting John, well, what about George? George has got some incredible ones. But you've got to slim it down for the programme.
"I just think that song of John's is magical. And a lot of other people do."
John Lennon Still Weighs On Paul McCartney
McCartney felt deeply sad about losing his friend Lennon.
The singer-songwriter continued: "In my mind, having worked with John so often, I can kind of see him writing it. To see him doing that piano part.
"I think it's a beautiful vision of how the world could be. Unfortunately, when I hear that, the back of my mind thinks it's not going to happen. Or, 'Wouldn't it be great?' How lucky would we be if all those things happened?
"I think a lot of people love to think about that, love to imagine that kind of reality, particularly with a lot of stuff going on these days."
Sources close to McCartney said Lennon's death continues to weigh heavily on him because it symbolized the destruction of a hopeful era both music icons once believed in passionately.
One insider said, "Paul still carries enormous sadness over losing John, but what really leaves him haunted by John now is seeing how fractured the world has become. Wars, political hatred, and violence make him feel the dream they once sang about is slipping further and further away."
Paul McCartney 'Fears Peace on a Global Scale May Never Happen'
McCartney played bass guitar on a new track for the Rolling Stones.
Another source said the current global climate had intensified McCartney's reflections on mortality and legacy.
The insider added, "Ukraine, Iran, and everything happening internationally have deeply affected him. Paul genuinely believed music could bring people together, but he now admits privately he fears peace on a global scale may never happen."
McCartney rose to fame alongside Lennon, George Harrison, who died in 2001 aged 58, and Ringo Starr, now 85, as part of The Beatles before becoming one of the most successful solo artists in music history.
Interest in the band has surged again following Peter Jackson's recent Apple documentary The Beatles: Get Back and anticipation surrounding Sam Mendes' forthcoming four-part Beatles biopic project.
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The songwriter wrote new music about his childhood town of Liverpool.
During his BBC interview, McCartney also discussed recording with The Rolling Stones after being invited to contribute bass to the group's new album.
He said: "I'm standing there and playing, and I'm thinking, 'I'm playing with the Stones.'
"I should be blasé and go, 'Yeah, I've known them for years'. But it was special, because now suddenly I'm playing with them."
McCartney described his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, as a deeply nostalgic album rooted in memories of his childhood in Liverpool before worldwide fame transformed his life forever.
