John Lennon’s departure from The Beatles split the band and rocked fans all around the world in 1970. The break-up came shortly after the Imagine hitmaker tied the knot with Yoko Ono, with the avant-garde artist bearing the brunt of the blame from The Beatles’ fanbase. The band dissolved following the release of their final album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road, having cemented their place in rock ’n’ roll history.
The split was far from amicable, sparking a feud between Lennon and his former bandmate Paul McCartney, during which they exchanged jibes publicly through the medium of their solo songs.
Later, however, they reconciled and reignited their firm friendship, which dated back to their schooldays.
Many whispers about a potential reunion circulated over the years, particularly in the latter half of the ‘70s, but it never transpired.
However, ideas about getting The Beatles back together were apparently more concrete than fans might have realised, according to Lennon’s ex-lover May Pang.
READ MORE: LENNON AND ONO’S RELATIONSHIP ‘OBVIOUSLY’ ON ROCKS BEFORE AFFAIR
It was in 1973 that Lennon embarked on an 18-month affair with his and Ono’s assistant, Pang, moving out of the New York home he shared with his wife and setting up house in Los Angeles.
Ono had full knowledge of the affair, later telling The Telegraph it wasn’t something that was “hurtful” to her and that she “needed space”.
Though Lennon and Ono spoke on the phone up to four times a day throughout his “lost weekend”, it was Pang who was there with the ex-Beatle every day.
In a rare interview with The Beatles Bible back in 2011, Pang shared insights into Lennon’s life at the time, revealing how he and McCartney had “plans” to reunite the band.
The year after Lennon got back with Ono, the couple welcomed their son Sean Lennon.
They would remain happily married until his tragic death in 1980.
On the night of December 8 that year, Lennon was fatally shot by Mark Chapman as he and his wife returned to their home in the Dakota.
Chapman shot the former Beatles star four times in the back and, though the musician was rushed to a nearby hospital, attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Elsewhere, McCartney opened up on The Beatles split during an interview with Howard Stern last year.
Speaking about his temporary falling out with Lennon, McCartney said: “It didn’t last long. We got over it, luckily.
“I feel very blessed that we got over it because, if we hadn’t and then John goes and gets killed, I don’t know how I would have dealt with that.
“We got it back together and it was beautiful; I would ring him or go see him in New York,” he added.
But pressed on whether or not all four members of the band were ever back together again following their break-up, McCartney replied: “No. No, not really.”