One of the stories Paul McCartney writes about in his new book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which will be published tomorrow (Tuesday), are the rumors of his death in 1969.
He says, “The strangest rumor started floating around just as The Beatles were breaking up – that I was dead.
“We had heard it long before, but suddenly, in that autumn of 1969, stirred up by a DJ in America, it took on a force all its own, so that millions of fans around the world believed I was actually gone...
"But now that over a half century has passed since those truly crazy times, I’m beginning to think that the rumors were more accurate than one might have thought at the time. In so many ways, I was dead … A 27-year-old about-to-become-ex-Beatle, drowning in a sea of legal and personal rows that were sapping my energy, in need of a complete life makeover.”
That makeover first manifested itself in his 1970 album, McCartney, followed by Ram in 1971 and the formation of Wings that same year.
As for "Paul Is Dead" rumor, it started on September 22nd, 1969 when an Illinois college newspaper ran an article with the headline "Clues Hint at Beatle Death." The piece cited the Sgt. Pepper album back cover where every Beatle except McCartney is photographed facing the viewer. And, he's wearing a black badge with the letters "OPD" (Officially Pronounced Dead).
Then in "Strawberry Fields Forever" John Lennon is heard saying "I buried Paul," which he would later claim is "I'm very bored."
The rumor picked up steam on September 23rd, 1969 when The London Daily Mirror picked up the story.
Then three days later when The Beatles released their Abbey Road album, which shows Paul walking barefoot, the conspiracy theorists had a field day.
Interpreted as Paul McCartney's funeral procession, it shows:
- Paul in an old suit and barefoot, which is how bodies were buried, and he's out of step with his bandmates.He is also holding a cigarette in his right hand, despite being left handed. This led to the rumor that the person on the cover was an imposter.
- The Volkswagen Beetle in the background has a "LMW 28-IF" license plate, which some believe stands for Linda McCartney is widowed, and Paul would've been 28 if he "lived."
- John Lennon is dressed in white, signifying a priest.
- Ringo Starr is in black, signifying an undertaker.
- George Harrison is in denim, so he was dubbed the gravedigger.