Paul McCartney wed his first wife, rock photographer Linda Eastman, on this day (March 12) in 1969.
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As reported in BeatlesBible.com, The couple, who’d first met in 1967, were married in a civil ceremony at Marylebone Register Office in London. None of McCartney’s Beatles bandmates attended the wedding. The Beatles’ longtime assistant Mal Evans and Paul’s younger brother, Mike, served as witnesses.
The ceremony was supposed to be a private affair, but many members of the press and fans had been tipped off about the wedding and gathered outside of the register office for a glimpse of the newlyweds. To avoid the onlookers, Paul and Linda entered the building through a side door.
Mike McCartney had to travel from Birmingham, U.K., to London via train to attend the wedding. On the way, his train broke down, and he arrived an hour late.
When he got to the register office, he encountered a crowd of weeping fans outside. He assumed the ceremony was over, but when he went inside, he discovered that Paul and Linda had waited for him to get there.
Following the ceremony at the register office, the attendees traveled to St John’s Wood Church in London. At the church, Reverend Noel Perry-Gore blessed the marriage.
McCartney on Why the Other Beatles Didn’t Attend His Wedding
In McCartney’s 1997 authorized biography, Many Years from Now, written by Barry Miles, Paul talked about the other Beatles’ absence from his wedding.
“I really don’t remember whether or not I invited any of the band to the wedding,” he said. “Why not? I’m a total bastard, I suppose—I don’t know, really. Maybe it was because the group was breaking up. We were all p—ed off with each other. We certainly weren’t a gang any more. That was the thing. Once a group’s broken up like that, that’s it.”
Paul and Linda Argued the Day Before the Wedding
Also in Many Years from Now, McCartney admitted that he and his bride-to-be weren’t getting along shortly before they tied the knot.
“We were crazy. We had a big argument the night before we got married and it was nearly called off,” he recalled. “We were very up and down [then.] … You get this picture of us swanning along in a little rowboat managing to avoid the white water, but we were right in the middle of that white water, man, so it’s even more miraculous that we made it. But we did.”
The register office was booked for the ceremony the day before the nuptials took place. Also on the day before the wedding, McCartney said he bought a ring for Linda to use at the ceremony that cost just 12 pounds.
Paul and Linda’s Relationship Before They Were Wed
Before meeting McCartney, Linda had been married from 1962 to 1965 to Joseph Melville See Jr. The couple had a daughter, Heather, who was born in December 1962. After her divorce from See, Linda became a respected rock photographer.
She met McCartney while on a photo assignment in London, when the two attended a concert at the Bag O’Nails club. They met again four days later at a launch party for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
In May 1968, Linda and Paul met again when McCartney and Lennon were in New York City promoting the launch of The Beatles’ Apple Records label. A few months later, McCarney invited Eastman to spend time with him in London, marking the deepening of their relationship.
Paul and Linda’s Relationship After They Were Married
Shortly, after their wedding, McCartney adopted Linda’s daughter Heather. The couple went on to have three children together—Mary, born in August 1969; Stella, born in September 1971; and James, born in September 1977.
Linda also became a major musical collaborator with Paul. She was a member of McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings, with whom she played keyboards, sang backing vocals, and was credited with co-writing many songs. She also continued to play on Paul’s solo albums after Wings broke up.
Sadly, Linda died of breast cancer in April 1998 at age 56. She and Paul had been married for more than 29 years.
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