Lennon's Angry Letter to Linda and Paul McCartney Sold at Auction
BOSTON, MA - (November 18, 16) a scathing letter John Lennon had written to Linda and Paul McCartney sold for $29,843 according to Boston-based RR Auction.
The two-page typed letter with hand-written annotations by Lennon, that shows the extent of his bitterness after the break-up of the Beatles.
The draft letter that is believed to date from 1971 was allegedly in response to criticism that Lennon had received from Linda about his decision to not publicly announce his departure from the band.
The letter reads: “I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it.
“I resisted looking at the last page to find out. I kept thinking who is it, Queenie? Stuart’s mother? Clive Epstein’s wife? Alan Williams? What the hell - it’s Linda! Who do you think we/you are?
“The ‘self-indulgent doesn’t realize who he is hurting’ bit - I hope you realize what you and the rest of my ‘kind and unselfish’ friends laid on Yoko and me since we’ve been together.
“[...] Linda, if you don’t care what I say shut up! Let Paul write or whatever.”
Lennon ends the letter bitterly chastising Linda for addressing her letter to just him, and not him and Yoko.
“The letter captures the intense rivalry between Lennon and McCartney in the months, and even years, surrounding the breakup of the Beatles, ” said Robert Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. The winning bid came from a collector from Dallas, Texas who wishes to remain anonymous.
Highlights from the sale include, but are not limited by:
Led Zeppelin debut album inscribed to the founding member of the James Gang, sold for $28,850.
Beatles signed program from 1963, sold for $16,541.
Miles Davis’s personal notebook with extensive musical compositions, drawings, and notes, sold for $12,251.
Charlie Chaplin’s canvas director’s chair back, sold for $9,788.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono signed typed letter, sold for $9,187.
Judy Garland’s intimate love letter to Frank Sinatra, sold for $5,897.
The Music And Entertainment Auction from RR Auction began on November 10 and concluded on November 17. For information, visit the RR Auction web site at www.rrauction.com.
