Beatles Blood Feud — Letter Exposes Bitter Rivalry

There was still plenty of anger between Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1971 — as Linda McCartney found out when she reached out to her husband's old bandmate! RR Auctions put up a fascinating artifact of the Beatles' bitter split, with a typed and hand-annotated letter in which John blasted his ex-partner's wife for reaching out to him!

The typewritten letter — enhanced with added handwritten notes by John — sold for an impressive $29,843! He was responding to Linda after she had complained to the former Beatle about John never formally announcing his departure from the band. John didn't hold back his irritation, either!

“I was reading your letter," wrote John, “and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it. I resisted looking at the last page to find out ... What the hell — it's Linda!" From there, the letter — described as "in fine condition, with center crease and a few small stains" — leads to a proper rant!

"I hope you realize what sh-t you and the rest of my 'kind and unselfish' friends laid on Yoko [Ono] and me, since we've been together," John writes. "It might have sometimes been a bit more subtle or should I say ‘middle class’ — but not often. We both ‘rose above it’ quite a few times — & forgave you two — so it's the least you can do for us — you noble people. — Linda — if you don't care what I say — shut up! — let Paul write — or whatever."

John also blasted Linda for a claim she seemingly made about the importance of his former band: "Do you really think most of today's art came about because of the Beatles? — I don't believe you're that insane — Paul — do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up! Didn't we always say we were part of the movement — not all of it? — Of course, we changed the world — but try and follow it through — GET OFF YOUR GOLD DISC AND FLY!"

The letter addresses Linda's complaints about his quiet departure by replying that he was asked to be discreet by Paul himself, along with the Beatles' management — declaring: "So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney — the c--ts asked me to keep quiet about it."

And in a bitter conclusion, John wrongly predicts that Paul and Linda were destined for divorce over his ex-partner's in-laws: "Of course, the money angle is important — to all of us — especially after all the petty shit that came from your insane family/in laws — and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL — see you in two years — I reckon you'll be out then..."

Linda at least took some comfort in later years that the couple would stay together until her death from cancer on April 17, 1998. John, of course, would leave Yoko a widow when he was shot down by deranged assassin Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980.

The letter even includes a final note about the pride that both took in their marriages, with John complaining about Linda not addressing her letter to both John and Yoko: “P.S. about addressing your letter just to me — STILL….!!!”