In 1958, John Lennon’s mother, Julia, died, and George Harrison’s mother wanted to make sure her son’s friend was okay. Although she put on a brave face in public, she overheard a conversation between Lennon and his friends months before her mother died. He said something that worried her. So he got Harrison to check on Lennon.
The musician’s mother died in 1958
Lennon’s parents divorced when he was young, and Aunt Mimi called Social Services on his mother twice. As a result, Mimi assumed custody of Lennon, and she had less contact with him as a child. However, as Lennon grew older, he began to reconnect with his mother over music. Mimi was not allowed to play music at home, but Julia encouraged her.
“Music was an important part of John’s relationship with his mother, and when she died, he used it to erase the pain and anger he felt,” Lennon’s first wife, Cynthia, wrote in her book. John:. “Julia bought him his first guitar and he loved music. He played the piano and banjo and sat patiently with her for hours, showing her how to play the chords over and over again. He also introduced John to rock and roll. He was playing Elvis Presley records at high volume, taking John’s hand to lead him around the kitchen to them. He always encouraged John’s musical dreams.”
Lennon started staying with his mother more often as a teenager. However, in 1958, Julia was killed after being hit by a car.
George Harrison’s mother “forced” him to spend time with John Lennon
Lennon hid any grief he felt after his mother’s death from his friends.
“He never showed it,” his friend Pete Shotton said, according to the book The Beatles. The Authorized Biography: By Hunter Davis. “It was like when the masters were beating him. He never gave anything away. His appearance never showed his feelings.’
Despite this, Harrison’s mother, Louise, knew that Lennon needed support. He had overheard a conversation a few months before Julia died.
“It had been a few months since John’s mother had died and he was just getting close to her,” Louise said. “I heard him say to Paul, “I don’t know how you can sit there and act normal when your mother is dead. If something like that happened to me, I would go out of my head.”
Overhearing, Louise made Harrison spend time with Lennon to make sure he wasn’t alone.
“When John’s mother did die, he didn’t seem to go out of his head, but he wouldn’t come out,” she explained. “I made George go round and see him to make sure he was still out playing in their group and wasn’t just sitting around and not being born. They’ve all been through a lot together, even in those early days, and they’ve always helped each other.”
George Harrison feared his mother would die after John Lennon’s mother died
Julia’s death caused Harrison to fear for his own mother’s safety.
“George was terrified I was going to die next,” Louise said. “He always watched me carefully. I told him not to be so stupid. I wasn’t going to die.”
Louisa lived until 1970, watching The Beatles rise to fame and becoming a never-ending source of support for the band.
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