He supported Ukraine, witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attack, and has been dead for 62 years: 10 stories from the life of Sir Paul McCartney

On June 18, the living legend of British rock music, Paul McCartney, celebrates his 82nd birthday. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest and most successful musicians in the history of rock and roll.

Paul supported Ukraine and witnessed the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States. There is also a legend that the celebrity allegedly died in a car accident in 1966. Read these and several other interesting stories from the life of the rock legend in the article from OBOZ.UA.

Paul McCartney supported Ukraine after the start of a full-scale invasion

In June 2008, the musician took the stage on Independence Square with the flag of Ukraine. The concert was part of the Independence Concert organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and became the largest in Ukraine's history: about 350,000 Beatles fans gathered on the square in Kyiv, and another 150-200,000 people watched the concert on big screens in seven cities across Ukraine.

In February 2022, Paul McCartney tweeted a message of support to all Ukrainians, posting a photo with a Ukrainian flag from the same open-air concert in Kyiv.

"I remember playing for our friends in Ukraine on the Independence Square in 2008 and thinking about them in these difficult times. We send our love and support," the musician wrote.

He then went on to share links to the charities UNICEF, Save the Children UK and the British Red Cross - all organizations that are helping to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to civilians.

Paul McCartney was rarely openly political, but his support is invaluable.

His mother died when he was 14 years old

Paul McCartney tragically lost his mother at a young age. Mary Patricia died from complications during breast cancer surgery when he was 14 years old. The pain of losing his mother greatly influenced McCartney and inspired him to write the song "Let It Be".

The single "Let It Be" is one of their most iconic tracks to date - it has been a comfort in difficult times, around the world and for years after its release.

Although many believe that the lyrics are about the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene, they are actually about his mother - McCartney wrote the song after having a dream in which his mother came to him with advice ten years after her death. McCartney said that in 1970, when The Beatles were in a difficult situation because the band members' relationships were deteriorating, he had a dream that inspired the song "Let It Be."

"I dreamt that I was seeing my mom, who died about 10 years ago. And it was so wonderful to see her, because that's the great thing about dreams: you really reunite with that person for a second. In the dream, she said: "Everything will be fine". I'm not sure if she used the words "Let it be," but that was the essence of her advice: "Don't worry too much, everything will turn out fine." So that made me write the song "Let It Be".

"Let it Be" quickly became a universally recognized song of peace, love and unity. With its simple composition, this heartfelt ballad speaks of the insurmountable struggles the world faces, and with its spiritual overtones, it simplifies the struggle by communicating what we all need to hear when going through emotional turmoil - that this too shall pass, so take your time and don't let it consume you.

Paul McCartney was the first musician to broadcast music live into outer space

Paul McCartney was the first musician to perform live music for an audience in space. On November 12, 2005, part of McCartney's live concert in Anaheim, California, was broadcast to the International Space Station, which is located more than 200 miles above the Earth.

The 15-minute broadcast featured a fascinating conversation between McCartney and the astronauts, as well as two songs, including the uplifting tune "Good Day Sunshine." He made history as the first musician to perform in front of 28632 fans in Anaheim and broadcast to an audience of two astronauts in outer space.

Deported from Germany, unwanted in the United States

In 1960, Paul was arrested and deported from Germany due to a rather strange incident - the band was performing in Hamburg when this trouble happened. Paul McCartney and drummer Pete accidentally set fire to a condom late at night to get more light in a dark room. They were arrested by local police on suspicion of attempted arson and forced to spend several hours in jail before being deported from Germany and sent back to England. However, they returned the following spring after paying minor deportation costs.

And the US government refused to grant the musician an American visa for many years because of McCartney's drug use. Paul was an outspoken advocate of marijuana, writing "Got to Get You into My Life" about the drug and eventually being arrested in Sweden, America, Scotland, Barbados, and Japan for carrying or growing cannabis. These convictions prevented him from obtaining a U.S. visa until December 1973.

Is Paul McCartney dead?

For more than 60 years, there has been a legend that the bassist and vocalist of The Beatles, Paul McCartney, died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike. According to the theory's supporters, numerous hidden hints about this event can be found in the band's songs and album covers.

It all started in 1967 with a car accident that Paul McCartney allegedly got into. Although this information was quickly denied, it was not the end of the story. In 1969, several American college students published articles claiming that McCartney had died and that the Beatles' music provided evidence of this. The gossip was fueled by the cover of the 1969 Abbey Road album, which, according to fans of the theory, encoded a message about Paul's death. The cover depicts the Beatles crossing a crosswalk, and supporters of the theory see a funeral procession: John in white is the priest in front, Ringo in a strict suit is the funeral director, Paul himself is following with his eyes closed and barefoot, and not in step with the others, the deceased, and George in jeans is the gravedigger. Even the license plate of the parked car on the cover has its own "decoding": LMW281F (LMW stands for "Linda McCartney Weeps", and 1F can be read as if, i.e.: "Linda McCartney is crying, could be 28 years old".

But in October 1969, the Beatles' press agent released an official statement denying the rumors. And in November, McCartney gave an interview where he said: "Maybe the rumors started because I hadn't been in the press for a long time. I've done enough work with the press to last me a lifetime, and I don't have anything to say now. I'm happy to be with my family, and I work when I work. I was on for ten years in a row and never turned off. Now I try to switch off whenever I get the chance. Now I would be happy if I were a little less famous." After that, the rumors died down.

Paul McCartney's collaboration with John Lennon is the most fruitful and successful in the history of music

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were an extremely successful songwriting duo, writing about 200 songs together. The pair had a dynamic collaboration that lasted for many years, but A Hard Day's Night is the only Beatles album where all the songs were written by Lennon and McCartney.

To date, the singles and albums of The Beatles cannot be compared to any other group or artist in history. It is interesting that although McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters of the last century, he can neither read music nor write music. Moreover, none of the Beatles members could read music.

Paul McCartney witnessed the September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, McCartney accidentally found himself in New York City, sitting in a plane on the runway at John F. Kennedy Airport. He could see the Twin Towers from the plane's window and watched the attacks take place.

The horror of that day inspired him to organize a charity concert in New York City with a star-studded lineup including David Bowie, The Who, Jay-Z, Elton John, Destiny's Child and many other big names. In order to raise funds and honor those who lost their lives in the attack, as well as those who provided assistance, the concert raised more than $77 million for charity in one night. The September 11th charity concert was so successful and united people after the tragedy that the New York City police appointed Paul McCartney an honorary detective.

The song "When I'm Sixty-Four" was written by Paul McCartney at the age of 14

Rock 'n' roll was still in its infancy when McCartney wrote one of his first songs, "When I'm Sixty-Four," in his childhood home in April 1956. The song was written on the family piano, and Paul was inspired by vaudeville and cabaret music. His father Jim McCartney was 54 years old at the time. Ten years later, when The Beatles began recording songs for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Jim was 64 years old. Perhaps that's why McCartney dusted off the song for the new album. John Lennon contributed to the lyrics, and The Beatles recorded the final version of the song in December 1966.

McCartney has been an outspoken vegetarian since the 1970s

In 1995, McCartney made an unexpected appearance on The Simpsons. The episode, titled "Lisa the Vegetarian," was about how the middle child of the Simpsons tried to eliminate meat products from his diet. This episode introduced many viewers to McCartney's own vegetarianism. The former Beatle agreed to voice the episode if Lisa remained a vegetarian for the rest of the Simpsons' lives, and the creators agreed. McCartney has also remained a vegetarian since he first gave up meat in 1975. He remains one of the world's most famous plant-eaters and even helped his first wife Linda start her own vegetarian food company, Linda McCartney Foods, in 1991.

Paul McCartney is an official knight

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Paul McCartney on March 11, 1997, recognizing the songwriter for his many contributions to modern music. It was McCartney's second visit to Buckingham Palace in three decades. Back in 1965, the magnificent foursome visited the royal residence to accept the prestigious MBC (Member of the British Empire) medal.

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