Born 85 Years Ago Today in New York, the Photographer Who Married a Beatles Legend, Became His Bandmate, and Made Rolling Stone History

On this day (September 24) in 1941, Linda Louise Eastman was born in Scarsdale, New York. She became Linda McCartney when she married Paul McCartney in 1969. In 1997, when Queen Elizabeth knighted her husband, she became Lady McCartney. Her marriage to a Beatle is only a fraction of the story, though. She made history as a photographer and was also a Grammy-winning musician, cookbook author, and an animal rights activist.

After graduating from Scarsdale High School, McCartney enrolled in the University of Arizona. There, she pursued an art history degree. She also took two photography lessons at a night school. However, according to her online biography, studying the photos of Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Edward Weston had a larger impact on her later work than those formal lessons.

In the early 1960s, she became an editorial receptionist at Town & Country magazine. The publication was invited to a Rolling Stones promotional party on a yacht, the SS Sea Panther. Her candid photos of the band were so impressive that the magazine ran them in an editorial feature. It was a major turning point in her career.

“I was the only photographer they allowed on the yacht,” she recalled in Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. “I just kept clicking away with the camera, and they enjoyed it, and I enjoyed it. Suddenly, I found that taking pictures was a great way to live and a great way to work,” she added.

Linda McCartney’s Photography Career

Before long, Linda McCartney was regularly photographing musicians at the Fillmore East in Manhattan. There, she captured artists like Grace Slick, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Janis Joplin.

McCartney also photographed Clapton for Rolling Stone. On May 11, 1968, she became the first woman to have her work on the cover of the magazine. By then, she had already been named US Female Photographer of the Year.

A Fateful Trip to London

In 1967, Linda McCartney was sent to London, England, on assignment. She was there to capture the “Swinging 60s.” While at the Bag O’ Nails Club, she met Paul McCartney. Four days later, she attended the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band launch party at Brian Epstein’s house. Two years later, on March 12, 1969, they tied the knot.

She shot the photo of her and Paul that appeared on the January 31, 1974 cover of Rolling Stone. This made her the only person to have a self-shot photo on the publication’s cover.

Linda & Paul McCartney’s Musical Partnership

After the Beatles broke up in 1970, the band’s members pursued solo careers. Paul McCartney invited Linda to join him on his musical journey. They released Ram in 1971. It was panned by critics and other former Beatles. However, it was an international hit. It was No. 2 on the Billboard 22 and No. 1 in the United Kingdom.

Later that year, they formed the band Wings and released their debut album Wild Life. They released seven studio albums, won multiple Grammys, and notched six No. 1 singles in the United States.

Activism and More

Linda and Paul McCartney became vegetarians in the 1970s. In 1989, she published her first cookbook, Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking. Then, in 1991, she launched a meatless frozen food brand that remains popular in England today. Four years later, she released her second cookbook, Linda’s Kitchen: Simple and Inspiring Recipes for Meatless Meals.

[RELATED: 5 Fascinating Tidbits About ‘Ram’ by Paul and Linda McCartney]

McCartney also supported several causes with her photography. She promoted groups like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, PETA, War Child, the British Dyslexia Association, and many others over the years. She also voiced a TV spot for PETA.

Despite all the accolades, she said her greatest achievement was “her four children with Paul: Heather, Mary, Stella, and James.”

Featured Image by C. Maher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images