The Beatles were known for their crazed fan base. Still, Cynthia Lennon noted that her ex-husband always “respected and cared” for his fans — even if that meant stopping outside his London apartment to sign autographs. Here’s what she wrote in her 2005 memoir John.
The Beatles sparked ‘Beatlemania’ — here’s what we know about the rock band
Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, The Beatles began writing and recording music when they were still teenagers. Years later, they became one of the most prominent groups in the music industry.
This rock band was also the source of “Beatlemania,” a phenomenon noting the fan reaction to the band. Some listeners would faint, cry, and scream at the sight of the Fab Four. The band stopped performing concerts because they couldn’t hear the music over screaming attendees.
John Lennon of the Beatles signed autographs outside his London home, according to Cynthia Lennon
This success even followed the Beatles home. Fans surrounded Lennon whenever he returned to his London flat, some asking for autographs or even a lock of hair, according to Cynthia Lennon.
“He could be intolerant of hangers-on, gold-diggers, money-men, and sycophants, but he respected and cared for the fans,” she wrote in John. “He believed the group owed them a lot. After all, they were the ones who bought the records and paid to go to the concerts.”
The Beatles were often known for their “Beatle Wit.” That reputation followed them overseas, as noted by History.com. The band appeared in a press conference amidst the height of “Beatlemania,” even joking about their success.
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“We have a message,” McCartney declared in between questions about the band’s name and their mop-top haircuts, “buy more Beatles records!”
John Lennon was shot by a Beatles ‘fan’ in 1980
The Beatles officially broke up in 1970, although Lennon continued to write and release music. In 1980, however, the artist was shot and killed in New York City by a self-proclaimed fan, Mark David Chapman. Chapman later elaborated on his decision to murder the former Beatles member.
“At the time, my thinking was he has all of this money, lives in this beautiful apartment, and he is into music representing a more cautious lifestyle, a more giving lifestyle,” Chapman told parole commissioners, according to ABC News. “It made me angry and jealous compared to the way I was living at the time. There was jealousy in there.”
Although Cynthia and John Lennon had separated at his time of death, the loss still impacted Lennon’s first family — especially his son, Julian.
“Years later, when John was killed by a ‘fan,’ the memory of his kindness to them stayed with me,” Cynthia Lennon noted in the same memoir. “I sometimes wondered whether, if he hadn’t been so patient and fearless, he might still be alive.”
