Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (b. 18 June 1942) is a British singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and recording artist. He initially gained worldwide fame as co-lead vocalist and bassist for The Beatles. He was also the group's principal co-songwriter, together with John Lennon (1940-1980). They wrote most of the group's early hits together, but although songs were for legal reason credited to Lennon/McCartney partnership, it is widely accepted that McCartney was the principal author of such well known Beatles songs as Yesterday, Penny Lane, Helter Skelter and Let It Be.

After The Beatles split up he initially pursued a solo career, initially releasing two albums McCartney (1970) and Ram (1971), the latter as Paul and Linda McCartney, his second wife. Shortly afterwards he formed the band Wings, who became one of the most successful rock bands of the 1970s, releasing seven albums up to 1979. The group had twelve top 10 singles, including one number one, Mull of Kintyre, in the UK and fourteen top 10 singles, including six number ones, in the US. Wings effectively split and ceased to be a band in April 1981.

McCartney returned to his solo career in 1982 (although as a solo artist he had already released Wonderful Christmastime in 1979 and McCartney II in 1980), collaborating also with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and has since released a further twelve albums under his own name, the latest of which McCartney III was released in December 2020. He has also collaborated with Kanye West, Band Aid and Band Aid 20, Dave Grohl, Eric Clapton and Rihanna.

With a career in music spanning six decades, McCartney owns an estimated fortune of £800 million.

Marriages
McCartney first met Jane Asher (b.1946) in 1963 and they stayed together as a couple for five years. They announced on Christmas Day 1967 that they were engaged to marry. On 20 July 1968, Asher announced publicly to the BBC that her engagement to McCartney had been broken off. In 1967 he had already met the American photographer Linda Eastman (b.1941), who he married in March 1969. The couple had four children: Heather (from Linda's first marriage, adopted by the couple) then Mary (b.1969), Stella (b.1971) and James (b.1977). Linda was also a member of Wings both as a musician and (mostly uncredited) songwriter. A dedicated vegetarian, she died from breast cancer at on 17 April 1998, at the age of 56.

McCartney married his second wife, Heather Mills (b.1968), in June 2002, although the couple separated in May 2006 and formally divorced in 2008. He met his third wife, Nancy Shevell, in November 2007, and they married on 09 October 2011, at Marylebone Town Hall where his first wedding to Linda had taken place in 1969.