Linda McCartney

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Linda McCartney

Born September 24, 1941(1941-09-24)
New York, New York, U.S.
Died April 17, 1998 (aged 56)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation Photographer, Musician
Spouse John Melvin See Jr. (1962-1965)
Paul McCartney (1969-1998)
Children Heather McCartney
Mary McCartney
Stella McCartney
James Louis McCartney
Parents Lee Eastman
Louise Sara Lindner Eastman (née Dryfoos)

Linda Louise, Lady McCartney (born Eastman, previously See) (September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. She married Paul McCartney of The Beatles on 12 March 1969. The McCartneys had four children together: Heather Louise (from her previous marriage, whom Paul McCartney adopted in 1969), Mary Anna, Stella Nina and James Louis. Linda became Lady McCartney when her husband was knighted in 1997.

McCartney and her husband shared an Oscar nomination for the song "Live and Let Die", which they co-wrote. She authored several vegetarian cookbooks, became a business entrepreneur (starting the Linda McCartney Foods company) and was a professional photographer, publishing Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era. She was a member of Wings.

McCartney was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, and died at the age of 56 on 17 April 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona. She left her entire estate to her husband through a Qualified Domestic Trust Fund.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early years and photography

The Eastman family, with Linda Eastman McCartney on the far right.
The Eastman family, with Linda Eastman McCartney on the far right.

McCartney was born Linda Louise Eastman, the second-eldest of four children, to Jewish-American parents in New York City. She had one brother, John (July 10, 1939) and two sisters, Laura (b. 1947) and Louise Jr. (b. 1950).[2][3] She grew up in the wealthy Scarsdale area of Westchester County, New York and graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1960.[4] Her father, Lee Eastman, was the son of Jewish-Russian immigrants. He changed his name from Leopold Vail Epstein to Lee Eastman, but was not related to the Eastman Kodak family.[3][5] He was songwriter Jack Lawrence's attorney, and at his request, Lawrence wrote a song called, "Linda", in honour of the five-year-old, which was recorded by Buddy Clark in 1947.[3] Her mother was Louise Sara Lindner Eastman—heiress to the Lindner Department Store fortune—who died in the crash of American Airlines Flight 1 in Queens, New York, in 1962.[6][7] McCartney later said that because of her mother's death, she hated travelling in airplanes.[8] McCartney studied for a Fine Art major at the University of Arizona.[4] Her first marriage was to John Melvin See Jr., whom she met at university. They married on June 18, 1962, and their daughter Heather Louise was born on 31 December 1962. They were divorced in June 1965. McCartney later commented that See was a "nice man, a geologist, an Ernest Hemingway type".[8]

McCartney started work as a receptionist for the Town & Country magazine, and was the only unofficial photographer on board the SS Sea Panther yacht on the Hudson River who was allowed to take photographs of The Rolling Stones during a record promotion party.[5][9][10] Although she had previously only studied the photography of horses in Arizona at an arts centre with a teacher, Hazel Archer, she was asked to be the house photographer at the Fillmore East concert hall.[11] Groupies who frequented the Fillmore and Max's Kansas City nightclub. She photographed artists such as Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, and The Doors.[12][13] She photographed Clapton for Rolling Stone magazine, making her the first woman to have a photo featured on the front cover on May 11, 1968. McCartney and her husband also appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone on January 31, 1974, making her the only person to have photographed, and to have been photographed, for the magazine cover.[5] Her photographs were later exhibited in over 50 galleries internationally, as well as at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[5] A collection of photographs from that time, Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era, was published in 1993.[12][14]

[edit] Paul McCartney

Further information: Paul McCartney

On 15 May 1967, she met Paul McCartney at a Georgie Fame concert at The Bag O'Nails club in London.[15] She was in the UK on an assignment to take photographs of "Swinging Sixties" musicians in London. The two later went to The Speakeasy club on Margaret Street to see Procol Harum.[7][16] They met again four days later at the launch party for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at Brian Epstein's house in Belgravia, but when her assignment was completed, she flew back to New York City.[17] In May 1968, they met again in New York, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney were there to announce the formation of Apple Corps.[18] In September of the same year, he phoned her and asked her to fly over to London. They were married six months later at a small civil ceremony (when she was four months pregnant with their daughter Mary) at Marylebone Registry Office on 12 March 1969.[19][20] She said after the birth of James that four children was enough.[8] She became Lady McCartney when her husband was knighted in 1997.[5] Her brother, entertainment lawyer John Eastman, has represented Paul McCartney since the break-up of The Beatles.[21]

[edit] Music

Main article: Wings (band)
Paul and Linda McCartney at the 1974 Academy Awards.
Paul and Linda McCartney at the 1974 Academy Awards.

She made an uncredited vocal contribution to The Beatles' song the title song of Let It Be in January 1969.[22] After the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, her husband taught her to play keyboards, and permanently included her in the lineup for his new group, Wings.[23] The group garnered several Grammy Awards, becoming one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, but had to endure jibes like, "What do you call a cow with wings? Linda McCartney".[24] She later admitted that the early accusations about her singing out of tune in the early days with Wings were true.[8]

In 1977, a single entitled "Seaside Woman" was released by an obscure band called Suzy and the Red Stripes, on Epic Records in the U.S.[22] In reality, Suzy and the Red Stripes were Wings with Linda McCartney (who also wrote the song) on lead vocals.[25] The song was recorded by Wings in 1972, in response to a lawsuit by ATV (which owned Northern Songs) over Paul McCartney's practice of granting his wife co-writing credit on his songs, which had the effect of transferring a share of the publishing royalties to MPL Communications from ATV. The lawsuit was settled out of court.[22]

McCartney and her husband shared an Oscar nomination for the song "Live and Let Die", which they co-wrote.[5] Linda McCartney's album Wide Prairie, which included "Seaside Woman", was released posthumously in 1998.[26] Paul McCartney worked with the help of the Beatles' engineer, Geoff Emerick, to finish the album.[27] Along with eight other British composers, he contributed to the choral album A Garland for Linda, and dedicated his classical album, Ecce Cor Meum, to his late wife.[28] In January 1999, "The Light Comes From Within" single from the Wide Prairie album was banned by TV and radio stations in the UK. Paul McCartney placed advertisements in English national newspapers asking parents to give "guidance" as to whether their children could be "morally corrupted" by the song lyrics, which included the lines, "You say I'm simple, you say I'm a hick, You're fucking no-one, you stupid dick".[29]

[edit] Vegetarianism, activism and lifestyle

McCartney introduced her husband to vegetarianism in 1975, and promoted a vegetarian diet through her cookbooks: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking (1989) Linda’s Kitchen and Simple and Inspiring Recipes for Meatless Meals. She explained her change to vegetarianism by saying that she did not "eat anything with a face", and if "slaughterhouses had glass walls the whole world would be vegetarian".[2][8] In 1991, she introduced a line of frozen vegetarian meals under the Linda McCartney Foods name, which made her wealthy independently of her husband.[30] In 1995, McCartney appeared in animated form with her husband in The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Vegetarian". The "Trash of the Titans" episode was dedicated to her memory. The H. J. Heinz Company acquired Linda McCartney Foods in March 2000, and the Hain Celestial Group bought it in 2007.[7][31]

McCartney was a strong advocate for animal rights, and lent her support to many organizations like PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) as well as The Council For The Protection of Rural England, Friends Of The Earth, and was a patron of the League Against Cruel Sports.[7] Before her death, she narrated a TV advertisement for PETA, in which she said: "Have you ever seen a fish gasping for breath when you take it out of the water? They’re saying, ‘Thanks a lot for killing me. It feels great, you know.’ No! It hurts!"[32] After her death, PETA created the Linda McCartney Memorial Award.[31]

McCartney was arrested in Los Angeles for possession of marijuana in 1975, although all charges were later dropped.[33] In 1984, the McCartneys were arrested in Barbados for possession of marijuana and were fined $100 each. They flew to Heathrow Airport, London, where Linda McCartney was arrested again on charges of possession. She later commented that hard drugs were disgusting, but marijuana "is pretty lightweight".[8][34][35]

[edit] Death

A photo of Linda McCartney shortly before her death.
A photo of Linda McCartney shortly before her death.

Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, and her condition soon grew worse as it spread to her liver.[5][36] Paul's last words to her were: "You're up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It's a fine spring day. We're riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is clear-blue".[31] Linda McCartney died at age 56 on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona.[5] She was cremated in Tucson, and her ashes were scattered at McCartney's farm in Sussex.[37] Paul later suggested that fans remember her by donating to breast cancer research charities that do not support animal testing, "or the best tribute — go veggie".[5] Memorial services were held for her at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, which was attended by George Harrison, David Gilmour and Ringo Starr. A memorial service was also held at Riverside Church in Manhattan, two months after her death.[31]

Talking later about the medication used to treat her breast cancer, Paul said: "If a drug has got to be used on humans then legally it has to be finally tested on an animal ... This was difficult for Linda when she was undergoing her treatment."[38] He also claimed that she was unsure if the drugs she took had been tested on animals: "During the treatment, a nice answer is a nice answer and if they (the doctors) say, `It's OK to have this because we didn't test it on animals', you are going to believe them."[38] She left her entire fortune to her husband in a special trust, known as a Qualified Domestic Trust, which allows deferral of estate taxes due on her assets until after his death.[1][39] He will have access to any royalties from books, records and any financial remuneration for the use of his wife's photographs.[40] He has pledged to continue her line of vegetarian food, and to keep it free from genetically modified organisms.[41]

Wide Prairie, a six-minute cartoon fantasy film by Linda McCartney and director Oscar Grillo, was premièred at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 19 August 1998. It was shown before the British première of The Horse Whisperer, starring Robert Redford.[42][43] On April 10, 1999, Paul McCartney performed at the tribute "Concert for Linda" in the Royal Albert Hall, with numerous artists including George Michael, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Tom Jones.[44] In January 2000, he announced donations in excess of $2,000,000 for cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, where Linda received treatment. The centers received $1 million (£625,000) each. The donations, through the Garland Appeal, were made on the condition no animals would be used for testing purposes.[31][45] In 2000, The Linda McCartney Centre, a cancer clinic, opened at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital.[31] In November 2002, The Linda McCartney Kintyre Memorial Trust opened a memorial garden in Campbeltown — the main town on the Mull of Kintyre — with the dedication of a bronze statue of Linda by sculptor Jane Robbins, commissioned and donated by Paul.[31][46]

[edit] Portrayals on screen

Elizabeth Mitchell and Gary Bakewell played Linda and Paul McCartney in the 2000 TV movie The Linda McCartney Story.[47]. Catherine Strauss had earlier played her (as "Linda Eastman") in the 1985 TV movie John and Yoko: A Love Story.[48] Tamara Blum Cohen appeared as Linda McCartney in a 2007 episode of the TV series Final 24 focused on Keith Moon.[49]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Gruber, Stephen C.. Qualified Domestic Trust (QDT) Living Trusts for Non-Citizens. Stephen C. Gruber, Attorney at Law. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  2. ^ a b Obituary: Linda McCartney. BBC (1998-04-19). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  3. ^ a b c When I Was A Pup. Geocities. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  4. ^ a b Linda McCartney. The Virtual Museum of San Francisco. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Skanse, Richard (1998-04-20). Linda McCartney Dies at 56. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  6. ^ Accident description. Aviation Safety Network (1996). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  7. ^ a b c d Slater, Nigel (2007-04-29). When the McCartneys came for lunch. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  8. ^ a b c d e f McCartney, Linda. Linda McCartney Quotes. Brainy Media. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  9. ^ McCartney, Linda. The Rolling Stones aboard SS Panther on the Hudson, 1966. The Estate of Linda McCartney. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  10. ^ Fields, Danny. Linda McCartney “The Biography” Chapter 1. Wingspan Russia. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  11. ^ Fields, Danny. Linda McCartney “The Biography” Chapter 2. Wingspan Russia. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  12. ^ a b Light From Within. Archer & Valerie Productions/MPL Communications, Ltd. (2001). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  13. ^ McCartney, Linda. Aretha Franklin - black and white photograph. The Estate of Linda McCartney. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  14. ^ Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era. Amazon. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  15. ^ Newman, Raymond. The Beatles' London, 1965-66. Abracadabra. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  16. ^ 48 Margaret Street, London. The Deep Purple Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  17. ^ Miles 1998. p117.
  18. ^ Spitz 2005. p761.
  19. ^ 1969: Paul McCartney weds Linda Eastman. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  20. ^ "Sequel: All Together Now. Thirty years later, the surviving Beatles get back to where they once belonged", People, February 14, 1994. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. (English) 
  21. ^ Barnes, Brigham T (2004-09-30). Entertainment lawyer John Eastman (64) discussed "doing something different,". New York School of Law. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  22. ^ a b c Gambaccini, Paul (1974-01-31). The Rolling Stone Interview: Paul McCartney. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  23. ^ Bonici, Ray (1982). Paul McCartney Wings it alone. Music Express" (Canada) issue #56 (GG70470). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  24. ^ Greer, Germaine (2006-05-21). Germaine Greer: Pop bitch. The Independent. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  25. ^ Calkin, Graham. Seaside Woman b/w B-Side To Seaside. Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  26. ^ Linda's lone effort to be released. BBC (1998-09-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  27. ^ Wide Prairie. 2000 Archer & Valerie Productions (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  28. ^ A Garland for Linda. BBC (1999-05-17). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  29. ^ Linda's last song 'banned'. BBC (1999-01-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  30. ^ About Linda. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g Linda McCartney Remembered. Archer & Valerie Productions (1998-2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  32. ^ PETA’s Fish Empathy Ad Hits the Airwaves. Fishing Hurts. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  33. ^ Wasserman, Harry (1980-07-06). Paul's Pot-Bust Shocker Makes Him A Jailhouse Rocker. High Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  34. ^ Arrested: Paul McCartney. Time Magazine (1984-01-30). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  35. ^ Paul McCartney On Drugs. 10 Zen Monkeys. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  36. ^ Saffian, Sarah. "Untimely deaths haunt extended Beatles family", US Magazine Company, December 17, 2001, p. 37. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. 
  37. ^ Linda McCartney suicide claims dismissed. BBC (1998-04-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  38. ^ a b Paul's dilemma over animal testing. BBC (1998-10-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  39. ^ Linda leaves fortune to Paul. BBC (2000-03-14). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  40. ^ The Will of Linda McCartney. 2007 Courtroom Television Network LLC (1996-07-04). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  41. ^ Sir Paul's GM foods pledge. BBC (1999-06-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  42. ^ Linda McCartney's last film set for premiere. BBC (1998-08-16). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  43. ^ Linda's last film premières to packed house. BBC (1998-08-20). Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  44. ^ Paul McCartney leads Linda tribute. BBC (1999-04-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  45. ^ Sir Paul's $2m cancer donation. BBC (2000-01-05). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  46. ^ Scots tribute to Linda McCartney. BBC (2002-11-01). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  47. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240683/ IMDb entry for The Linda McCartney Story
  48. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089380/ IMDb entry for John and Yoko: A Love Story
  49. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151590/ IMDb entry for Final 24 episode "Keith Moon"

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME McCartney, Linda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eastman, Linda
SHORT DESCRIPTION American photographer
DATE OF BIRTH September 24, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Scarsdale, New York
DATE OF DEATH April 17, 1998
PLACE OF DEATH Tucson, Arizona