Paul McCartney is remembering his late bandmate and friend John Lennon on what would have been his 83rd birthday.
The English singer, musician and songwriter paid tribute to the Beatles icon on Monday on Instagram.
"Celebrating the birthday of my wonderful friend and collaborator, @johnlennon," McCartney, 81, wrote, signing off with "Paul," and a black heart emoji.
The post was accompanied by a black-and-white photo of himself on stage with an image of Lennon behind him on a large screen.
McCartney and Lennon are celebrated as one of the all-time great songwriting pairs, responsible for timeless hits like "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
On Dec. 8, 1980, Lennon, a peace activist, was fatally shot outside his Manhattan residence at the age of 40, leaving behind his wife, Yoko Ono, and two sons, Julian, now 60, and Sean, who is 48. His death was mourned by millions of fans worldwide.
In December last year, McCartney opened up about the grief he experienced in the wake of Lennon's death.
"When John died, it was so difficult," he explained during an appearance on SiriusXM's "The Beatles Channel," according to People. "It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special."
McCartney added that Lennon's death hit him so hard that he "couldn't really talk about it."
"I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died and turning the TV on and seeing people say, 'Well, John Lennon was this and what he was was this,' " he recalled. "It was like, 'I don't know, I can't be one of those people.'
"I can't just go on TV and say what John meant to me," he explained. "It was just too deep. It's just too much. I couldn't put it into words."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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