LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Linda McCartney, an accomplished musician, photographer, and animal rights activist, died on April 17, 1998, at the age of 56.
She was best known as the wife of Paul McCartney, a member of the legendary band The Beatles.
Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995; unfortunately, the disease metastasized into her liver, causing her death in 1998. She died in Tuscon, Arizona.
She had been a passionate advocate for vegetarianism and animal welfare, even authoring cookbooks on the subject.
Recently, Leslie Ann Jones recounted in a Daily Mail column how she was working as a ghostwriter on an autobiography of Linda but for some reason it did materialize.
She shared some excerpts from her book ‘Fly Away Paul’ which is set for an October 10 release.
Ghostwriting a book on Linda McCartney
Leslie wrote of an unexpected meeting with Paul McCartney back in 2019, and recounted how it transported her back to the time when she was working with his ex-wife Linda on her autobiography more than three decades ago.
The author went on to reveal that the project was never completed.
Leslie also painted quite an idyllic picture meeting the couple in their home back then - a place she described as a bohemian cottage which she goes on call “a collage of aging furniture, stacked guitars, and omnipresent mud.”
She recounted that she met the couple, who had settled in Peasmarsh in East Sussex, England amidst a ‘charming chaos’.
She then described how much work she had done on Linda’s book. Leslie proposed the title ‘Mac The Wife’ for Linda’s autobiography and even Linda had agreed to it.
They had outlined approximately 30 chapters dealing with her childhood, the Beatles and Wings eras among some topics.
The book was to also look into Linda’s roles as a devoted wife and mother, her dedication to vegetarianism, animal activism, her photography, her foray into recording and songwriting, and her philosophy on family.
Why Linda McCartney’s autobiography never materialized
The possibility of Linda’s autobiography had attracted interest from three publishers keen on acquiring the rights. Nevertheless, Linda had warned Leslie that Paul possessed the decisive authority.
Soon, Linda shared the disheartening update that Paul had opted against moving forward with the book and no reason was given.
Leslie wrote that while she did not ask Paul outright about the reason why he refused the book’s publishing, she found herself wondering about the whole situation.
“What was it that made Paul McCartney, the most successful pop musician in history, prevent the wife he adored from writing her own story? Perhaps it was her frankness, her fearlessness, her dogged insistence on calling a spade a spade,” Leslie said.
“Perhaps he was afraid she would tell too much truth,” she mused.
Paul McCartney was ‘being a control freak’
The author writes she got a plausible reason years later and somewhat accidentally. Years after Linda’s death she met her pal named Geoff Baker.
Geoff, she says, was Paul’s publicist for 15 years and so he prodded him to know if he was aware why Linda’s book had been stopped.
“It was Paul, bless him, being a control freak,” said Geoff.
“You know what he’s like. There’s too much going on in his head. He gets a bit confused sometimes and loses sight of what matters."
“When Linda told him that she wanted to do it, he lost his rag.” Leslie claims Geoff said Paul may have said something along the lines of “There’s only one f***ing star in this family.”
How did Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney meet?
Paul and Linda, then known as Linda Eastman, first met on May 15, 1967, at the Bag O' Nails club in London.
Paul was there to attend a launch party for the Beatles' album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', and Linda was also present, having been introduced to Paul's circle through her work as a photographer.
Their connection deepened over subsequent meetings, and they found common ground in their love for music and similar values. Their relationship evolved into a genuine romance, and they got married on March 12, 1969, at Marylebone Town Hall in London.
