Julian Lennon facts: John Lennon son's net worth, songs, parents and partner revealed

3 November 2023, 11:45

Julian Lennon was John Lennon's first child, and has since gone on to have his own successful music and arts career.

Julian has been back in the spotlight as part of a new radio documentary series in which he is interviewed by his half-brother Sean Lennon.

But what has Julian got up to in recent years and what kind of music does he make? Here's your handy guide:

1. Who is Julian Lennon?

   

   Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes

   Full name John Charles Julian Lennon, he is an English singer, musician, photographer and philanthropist. He is also the founder of the White Feather Foundation.

   Julian is the son of Beatles legend John Lennon, and his first wife, Cynthia, and was the direct inspiration for three Beatles songs: 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', 'Hey Jude' and 'Good Night'. His parents divorced in 1968 when Julian was five.

   He has produced several albums, including 1984's Valotte. He has also held various exhibitions of his photography.

2. How old is Julian Lennon and who was his mother Cynthia?

   

   Julian Lennon was born on April 8, 1963 at Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool.

   He celebrated his 60th birthday in 2023.

   He was named after his paternal grandmother, Julia Lennon, who died five years before his birth. His godfather was Beatles manager, Brian Epstein.

   His mother Cynthia Powell was an artist, who was married to John Lennon from 1962 to 1968. They got engaged after Cynthia was found to be pregnant with Julian.

   In 1968, Lennon left Cynthia for Japanese artist Yoko Ono. They divorced in 1968 on the grounds of adultery.

   Cynthia later married Italian hotelier Roberto Bassanini in 1970, but divorced him in 1976. In 1978, she married English engineer John Twist, but also divorced him in 1982.

   After her divorce from Twist, she changed her name back to Lennon and met Jim Christie, her partner for 17 years. She was later married to Noel Charles from 2002 to his death in 2013.

   She passed away from cancer in 2015, aged 75.

3. What was Julian's relationship like with John Lennon?

   

   After his father's murder in December 1980, Julian spoke of his resentment towards him, saying: "I've never really wanted to know the truth about how dad was with me.

   "There was some very negative stuff talked about me, like when he said I'd come out of a whiskey bottle on a Saturday night. Stuff like that. You think, where's the love in that?

   "Paul and I used to hang about quite a bit, more than Dad and I did. We had a great friendship going and there seems to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing together at that age than there are pictures of me and my dad."

   Julian also called his dad a "hypocrite" over his famous peace beliefs, due to the way he treated him and his mother.

   Julian was also excluded from his father's will. However, a trust of £100,000 was created by his father to be shared between Julian and his half-brother Sean.

   Julian later sued his father's estate, and in 1996 reached a settlement agreement reportedly around £20 million.

   However, in 2009 Julian spoke of how he reconnected with his father in the mid-1970s, saying: "Dad and I got on a great deal better then. We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with [partner] May Pang.

   "My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear — they were the happiest time I can remember with him."

   

4. What is Sean Lennon's relationship with brother Julian?

   Despite John Lennon leaving Julian out of his will, and despite Julian’s having to buy back his own father’s belongings at auction as his stepmother Yoko would not give them to him at the time, Julian and Sean are thought to be close.

   • Read more: Who is Sean Lennon?

   When Sean spoke about his older brother at the opening of Julian’s photography exhibition in 2010, he and his mother showed up to support him.

   “Julian is the reason I started playing music,” Sean said. “Because when I was a kid, when his first record, Vallotte hit the charts, it was the biggest thing…”

   His mother, Yoko, added: “Julian is the biggest thing in our family.”

   View this post on Instagram

   Was fun having this guy in New York for a bit.

   A post shared by Sean Ono Lennon (@sean_ono_lennon) on Mar 18, 2019 at 6:22am PDT

5. What is Julian Lennon's net worth?

   Julian Lennon's net worth is thought to be around £38 million.

   In comparison, Sean Lennon's net worth is around £154m.

6. Is Julian Lennon married?

   Julian Lennon has never married or had children.

   He has said in the past that his difficult relationship with his father had discouraged him from having long term relationships.

   "He was young and didn't know what the hell he was doing," Lennon said. "That's the reason I haven't had children yet. I didn't want to do the same thing. No, I'm not ready. I want to know who I am first."