John Lennon, the iconic member of The Beatles, had a complicated relationship with his first son, Julian.
Born in 1963 to Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, Julian was believed to have inspired several famous Beatles songs.
However, Lennon’s marriage to Cynthia ended badly when she discovered Yoko Ono in their home.
Following their split in 1968, Lennon’s relationship with Julian became strained, leading to minimal contact between father and son.
Lennon later had a second child, Sean, with Yoko Ono.
It appears that Lennon left a significant portion of his wealth to Sean and Yoko, rather than Julian.
In an interview with Playboy shortly before his death, Lennon discussed the difference between Julian and Cynthia and his second marriage to Yoko.
He emphasized that Sean was a planned child, while Julian was not loved any less.
Lennon stated that Julian was still his son, regardless of the circumstances of his birth.
Despite Lennon’s intentions to repair his relationship with Julian in the future, his will did not reflect this desire.
The details of Lennon’s will remained undisclosed for a long time until Julian spoke out about the tension in an interview with the Telegraph in May 1998.
Julian expressed the pain of being excluded from his father’s will, while Sean was reported to be the main inheritor of the fortune.
According to the article, Julian received £2,400 per year in maintenance from the divorce settlement between John and Cynthia, as well as a £50,000 trust fund that he inherited at the age of 25.
Considering that John Lennon’s net worth was estimated to be around £220 million in 1998, the amount left for Sean and Yoko was substantial.
Julian acknowledged that he didn’t believe it was fair but chose not to engage in a court battle due to the significant difference in financial resources between him and the estate.
He feared that a court case would drag on for years and lead to slanderous remarks, ultimately depriving both Sean and himself of a private life.
The exclusion of Julian from John Lennon’s will sheds light on the complexities of their relationship and the decisions Lennon made regarding his estate.
Despite the estrangement between father and son, Julian expressed acceptance of the situation, focusing on moving forward rather than dwelling on what could have been.
