John Lennon’s Kids: Meet the Late Singer's Sons Julian and Sean

John Lennon rose to fame as a vocalist and guitarist of The Beatles, the iconic British rock group that sold over 1.6 billion singles since their rise in the 1960s. The songwriter welcomed his two sons, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon, before his death on December 8, 1980. Meet his two children who are carrying on his legacy with music careers of their own.

Widely regarded as the most influential rock band of all time, The Beatles soared to the top of the charts in the U.S. and U.K. with hits like “Hey Jude” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The group’s success was due largely in part to John’s songwriting skills and the leadership role that he took on over the years. At the height of his fame, John married his first wife, Cynthia Lennon, in 1962.

The pair met at art school while they were both in relationships with other partners. After spending time together, they both decided to break up with their other partners and give their relationship a shot. Cynthia and John wed after she found out she was pregnant. They welcomed their son, Julian, on April 8, 1963.

John and Cynthia were officially divorced on November 8, 1968, years after John met his second wife, Yoko Ono, for the first time. Cynthia died in 2015 at the age of 75 after battling cancer. John and Yoko became musical collaborators and were married on March 20th, 1969. The couple took some time apart during their marriage and John began seeing May Pang with Yoko’s blessing. John and Yoko reconnected and welcomed their son, Sean, on October 9, 1975.

Shortly after Sean’s birth, John took a step back from music to focus on raising his young son and repairing his marriage. News of John’s murder at the hands of Mark David Chapman devastated the entire world in 1980. Julian was 17 at the time of the tragedy. In a 2020 interview on BBC Radio, Julian recalled the last conversation he had with his father.

“Dad and I had been getting on and speaking a lot more on the phone, you know. When I was sort of 15, 16 and 17,” he shared. “I just remember I was living in North Wales at the time and I’d spent six months or a year in boarding as well and I’d finally come home. And I was living at mom’s house and I was finishing up at school. I remember him playing ‘Starting Over’ over the phone, he just mixed it.”

In the years since their father’s death, both Julian and Sean pursued music careers of their own. As they both continue to carry on their father’s legacy, Sean told NME in December 2010 that John was “one of a kind.”

Scroll to meet John’s two surviving children, Julian and Sean.

Julian Charles John Lennon

Julian became the inspiration behind some of The Beatles’ biggest hits in his early life, including “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Good Night.” He was 5 years old when his parents divorced in 1968. He admitted in an essay for The Guardian in 2020 that his relationship with his father became strained.

“Maybe 10 years passed during which my dad and I barely spoke. I was very angry about how he left the family,” Julian wrote. “It was thanks to my mum that we started having conversations again. She was such a gentle soul, never vindictive in any way, shape or form. She always wanted me to have a relationship with him.”

Julian and John began reconnecting before his death, bonding over their love for music. In 1984, Julian released his debut album, Valotte. The following year, the “Space” singer earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. In addition to his music career and six successful albums, Julian has also produced several documentaries and became a New York Times best-selling author.

In November 2021, a three-part documentary about The Beatles titled Get Back was released on Disney+. Julian attended a special screening of the film and shared nothing but kind words about his father on Instagram.

“The film has made me love my father again, in a way I can’t fully describe,” he captioned a photo of him and Sean.

Sean Taro Ono Lennon

Much like his older half-brother, Sean decided from an early age that he also wanted to pursue music. He often collaborated with his mother beginning in his teen years before writing “All I Ever Wanted” with Lenny Kravitz in 1991. Sean released his first solo album, Into the Sun, in 1998. Two more albums followed before Sean began playing guitar and singing with multiple bands.

Sean has collaborated with Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson and Lana Del Rey throughout his career. He also took his talents to the big screen, directing Carrie Fisher and Lindsay Lohan in the 2006 film Friendly Fire. The singer, who was just 5 years old when his father passed away, bears a striking resemblance to The Beatles hitmaker with his long hair and glasses. He has always had a special connection with his father.

“I honestly do worry about crying because sometimes I think sometimes when I talk about certain songs that dad wrote, they’re just so emotional,” Sean shared on BBC Radio in 2020 on what would have been John’s 80th birthday.