The Beatles they were known for their crazed fan base. Yet, cynthia lennon she noted that her ex-husband always “respected and cared” for his fans, even if it meant stopping outside their London flat to sign autographs. This is what she wrote in her 2005 memoir. John.
The Beatles caused ‘Beatlemania’: this is what we know about the rock band
Compound John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, The Beatles began writing and recording music while still in their teens. Years later, they became one of the most prominent groups in the music industry.
This rock band was also the source of “Beatlemania,” a phenomenon that highlights fan reaction to the band. Some listeners would faint, cry and scream at the sight of the Fab Four. The band stopped performing concerts because they couldn’t hear the music over the screaming of the crowd.
John Lennon of the Beatles signed autographs outside his London home, according to Cynthia Lennon
This success even followed the Beatles home. Fans flocked to Lennon every time he returned to his London apartment, some asking for autographs or even a lock of hair, according to Cynthia Lennon.
“He might be intolerant of hangers-on, gold diggers, money men and sycophants, but he respected and cared for fanatics,” he wrote in John. “He believed that the group owed them a lot. After all, they were the ones who bought the records and paid to go to the concerts.”
The Beatles were often known for their “Beatle Wit.” That reputation followed them abroad, as noted by history.com. The band appeared at a press conference at the height of “Beatlemania,” even joking about their success.
“We have a message,” McCartney declared amid questions about the band’s name and haircuts, “buy more Beatles records!”
John Lennon was shot by a Beatles ‘fan’ in 1980
The Beatles officially broke up in 1970, although Lennon continued to write and release music. In 1980, however, the artist was shot to death in New York City by a self-proclaimed admirer, Mark David Chapman. Chapman then explained his decision to murder the former Beatles member.
“At the time, I thought that he has all this money, he lives in this beautiful apartment and he likes music that represents a more cautious lifestyle, a more generous lifestyle,” Chapman told parole commissioners, according to ABC News. “He made me angry and jealous compared to the way I was living at the time. There was jealousy there.”
Although Cynthia and John Lennon had separated at the time of his death, the loss still affected Lennon’s early family, especially his son, Julian.
“Years later, when John was killed by a ‘fan,’ the memory of his kindness to them stayed with me,” Cynthia Lennon said in the same memoir. “Sometimes I wondered if, if he hadn’t been so patient and brave, he would still be alive.”