The Beatles are as relevant today as they were when they first became a global phenomenon. John Lennon, no matter how we might feel about him on a personal level, was one of the most influential Beatles, even after the band disbanded. Between the important messages in his lyrics and his ongoing support of Yoko Ono’s powerful, meaningful art, Lennon seemed to be an excellent creator...but was he a good dad?
Kids of celebrities are all different. Some, like Blue Ivy, are intelligent and start getting creative very young. Others, like Stormi Webster, are probably destined to be part of the modeling, fashion, or beauty industries.
John Lennon’s kids inhabit a kind of middle ground; they're doing some very cool stuff, but they're low-key.
13 John Lennon Had Two Kids
Sean and Julian are the two sons that John Lennon had. In very typical rock star fashion, he had them with two different women, at two different times in his life. Julian was the first-born, and Lennon split from Julian's mother shortly after beginning a relationship with Yoko Ono. Yoko is the mother of Sean, Lennon’s second-born son.
12 Julian Went Platinum
While Sean seemed to be the favored child (he was a planned baby, rather than coming along accidentally, as Julian did), oldest son, Julian, was the one that took after John Lennon in terms of writing hit songs.
While Julian’s always had a difficult relationship with daddy, Lennon, he did take after his famous father in the music realm. One of Julian’s first records went platinum and gave Julian a taste of musical success early on in life. Julian had a hit single called, "Valotte".
11 But Has Focused On Photography Ever Since
Lately, however, he’s been focused on his photography. Between his sensitive approach to the world and his self-reflective nature, Julian Lennon was totally built to be a photographer. His photographic art is seen in a few different private collections, as well as in professionally curated displays at art galleries. Seriously - this is work to watch. It’s gorgeously framed, printed, and displayed, with some interesting subject matter.
10 He Was Written Out Of The Will
Yes, this is for real. Apparently, Julian Lennon was written out of John Lennon’s will. This seriously hurt him. Not only did Julian find that he was going to receive nothing, but he wasn’t even offered any of the extra things left in Lennon’s estate. He had to buy back items and memorabilia from auctions, which is probably the most trauma-inducing thing we could think of doing after the death of a parent.
9 He Still Loves His Brother, Though
Julian’s feelings are intense, just due to his family history. However, he loved his younger brother, according to CBS News: “I think the key point to all this for me at least has been Sean. If I hurt Sean’s mother then I hurt Sean. It’s a roundabout way of thinking about things but because I love Sean so much I just don’t want to hurt him. I can get over it. I have got over it”.
This caring for Sean makes their relationship strong. Julian has a better bond with Sean than he had with John Lennon.
8 Sean Is Still Getting Inspired By Julian
Despite the disparities in their upbringings, Julian is the inspiring one between the two brothers. According to Sean, “Julian is the reason I started playing music… Because when I was a kid, when his first record, Valotte hit the charts, it was the biggest thing,” which is honestly maybe the sweetest thing we’ve ever heard a younger sibling say. Ever.
7 But Does It With A Little More Creativity
He seems to have focused less on the power pop and more on the experimental alt-rock. He “[puts] out music as both a solo artist and a member of the bands Cibo Matto and The Ghost of a Sabertooth Tiger,” which says everything we need to say about the genre of music he’s working in. Ghost of a Sabertooth Tiger? That seems like something The Beatles might have done during their Yellow Submarine era.
6 Neither Of Them Wants To Hide
Being the kid of one of the most famous pop stars in the world (because The Beatles were a pop group) makes it all too easy to shrink away from the spotlight or detach. Sean recognized this when he explained that: “it’s like oh, well, I can’t be proud of who I am? I didn’t want to hide… No matter what I do, people see me as the spoiled slacker son of John and Yoko”, according to NME.
5 But There Has Been Family Tension They’re Working Through
Even though Lennon isn’t around anymore, there is some residual tension in the family. Yoko Ono was one of the reasons Lennon left Julian’s mom, and Julian says, “there was some very negative stuff talked about me … like when he said I’d come out of a whisky bottle on a Saturday night. Stuff like that. You think, where’s the love in that?” The remaining family members are absolutely closer now, though.
4 Sean Has Been Acting Lately
“As an actor, Sean has starred in the 1988 film Moonwalker and the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Melrose Place,” according to Heavy, as well as a handful of other things. While his main career is music, acting is one of those things that seems to come naturally to him. We’re not sure where that came from in his gene pool, but we do know that he is pretty good!
