Cynthia Lennon – the first wife of Beatles legend John Lennon – passed away today at the age of 75.
Lennon had reportedly been battling cancer. Her son, recording artist Julian Lennon, was with her at the time of her death.
Julian posted the following musical tribute to his mother after news of her death went public:
"Cynthia Lennon passed away today at her home in Majorca, Spain following a short but brave battle with cancer," reads a statement from her publicist.
"Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time."
Cynthia’s relationship with John was notoriously tumultuous, and the music icon left her for conceptual artist Yoko Ono in 1968, at the height of the Beatles’ fame.
In a 2006, interview she revealed that John – a proponent of pacifism throughout his life – had once struck her:
"He was a very jealous young man at the time, and he had a lot of pain inside," Cynthia recalled.
"He wanted to trust me and he thought by seeing me dancing with a friend of his that I was being disloyal or messing around. So he smacked me, but that was the only time."
Cynthia is the author of two books about her life with John, and she has mostly recalled their time together with fondness, in the years since his death in 1980.