Sir Paul McCartney says he felt ‘dead’ after The Beatles broke up

Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about the time in his life after The Beatles split in his new book, revealing he felt dead.

In the 83-year-old iconic singer’s new memoir, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, Paul reflected on the conspiracy theory that he had died and been replaced with a lookalike.

The ‘Paul is dead’ theory first surfaced in 1966 but exploded in 1969, with Paul reflecting that it was a tough time in his life.

‘The strangest rumour started floating around just as The Beatles were breaking up, that I was dead.

‘We had heard the rumour long before, but suddenly, in that autumn of 1969 stirred up by a DJ in America, it took on a force all of its own, so that millions of people around the world believed I was actually gone,’ he penned per The Guardian.

He added that he was ‘aware of the power of gossip and the absurdity’ and he and his then wife Linda, moved out of London ‘precisely to get away from the kind of malevolent talk that was bringing The Beatles down’.

He revealed that he did in fact feel dead during the time, and sadi that the rumours may have had more truth to them than he first realised.

‘Now that over half a century has passed since those truly crazy times, I’m beginning to think that the rumours were more accurate than one might have thought at the time. 

‘In so many ways, I was dead, a 27-year-old about-to-become-ex-Beatle, drowning in a sea of legal and personal rows that were sapping my energy, in need of a complete life makeover,’ he concluded.

He reflected that moving to a sheep farm in Scotland helped him to feel better, which is exactly what he did in 1971 with his wife Linda, adopted daughter Heather, and daughter Mary.

‘For the first time in years, I felt free, suddenly leading and directing my own life.

‘I was not conscious at the time of moving away from the long shadow cast by The Beatles, but that’s exactly what I was doing.’

The singer turned 83 in June this year, but hasn’t slowed down a jot in his later age, going on the Get Back tour in 2022 which isn’t set to end until later this year.

In July 2025, he announced an extension of the tour with dates across North America from September to December.

It is also rumoured that the legend is set to announce a fresh album and tour at some point this year.

Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney is set to be released on November 4.

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