Linda McCartney

Linda McCartney (September 24, 1941-April 17, 1998), born Linda Eastman in Scarsdale, New York.

Biographical Information

Linda grew up in the Scarsdale area of New York. She established herself as a professional photographer in the rock and roll scene, and met her second husband, Paul McCartney, while photographing the Beatles in 1967. They married in 1969. She and Paul raised four children: Heather (from her previous marriage), Stella, Mary, and James.

After the breakup of the Beatles in 1971, Paul began teaching Linda to play keyboards, and included her in the lineup for his new band, Wings. Although Linda was shunned by music critics for her amateur singing and playing skills, Wings garnered several Grammy Awards for their music. Linda developed her musical talent through the years, even writing and recording her own music. Her album, Wide Prairie was released posthumously in 1998.

Linda introduced her husband to vegetarianism and popularized a meatless diet through her best-selling cookbooks and line of frozen vegetarian meals. Additionally, Linda was a vocal advocate for animal rights.

When breast cancer claimed Linda's life in 1998, Paul suggested that fans remember her by donating to breast cancer research, "or the best tribute—go veggie".

External Links

Biographical information: http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/lindabio.html
PETA's interview with Paul regarding Linda's life and work: http://www.peta.org/liv/animaltimes/398/paul.html
Obituary from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/80494.stm