Sean Ono Lennon has defended the reaction that Paul McCartney gave to the media following the death of his father, John Lennon, in 1980.
Following the heartbreaking murder of Lennon outside the Dakota Building in New York, McCartney wasn’t given time to take stock of the terrible and tragic event before the world’s media were hounding him for a quote.
Hours after Lennon had been murdered, McCartney was forced to answer questions, explaining that he’d discovered the news “this morning sometime” and bluntly said, “(it’s a) drag isn’t it”, before moving on from the reporters.
Years later, during a television appearance, McCartney reflected on his response, explaining, “I’m not very good at public grief, so somebody thrust a microphone into my face on the day it happened, and said, ‘What’s your comment?’.”
McCartney then admitted that “all I could muster was, ‘It’s a drag isn’t it”, and explained, “I couldn’t say anything else but that.”
Now, in the new documentary Man on the Run, Ono Lennon looked back on McCartney’s reaction, stating (via People), “I always notice the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. Really felt like someone who was unable to process what was going on.”
Ono Lennon’s empathetic response continued, “He just seemed almost robotic, which I think some people took possibly as coldness, but I never took it as that, ‘cause I understood even then what it was like when something that terrible happens.”
McCartney’s daughter, Stella, also explained in Man on the Run that her father’s reaction behind-closed-doors was a contrast to the one he offered up to reporters, sharing, “I remember that moment. I remember the phone ringing. I remember some, the biggest reaction I’d ever seen and him leaving the kitchen and going outside. That was heartbreaking, like truly heartbreaking.”
Man on the Run examines McCartney’s life and career as he built himself up once again throughout the 1970s, following the demise of The Beatles, as well as charting the rise of Wings.
Man on the Run is set for a limited cinematic release on February 19th and February 22nd before arriving on Prime Video on February 25th. A companion soundtrack album will later be made available on February 27th.
