Did Paul and Linda McCartney Spend a Night Apart?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Band Members,Rock n' Roll Last Updated February 1, 2023

Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney tied the knot in 1969 and remained married until Linda’s death. And they reportedly never left one another’s side. But Did Paul and Linda McCartney spend a night apart?

Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney only ever spent a night apart one time. They had to spend nine days apart when Paul McCartney was arrested in Japan. Paul was found in possession of half a pound of marijuana in 1980 and put in prison.

Talking about his arrest, McCartney told James Corden in 2018:

“I still am hazy about how that happened, but it did. I had some marijuana in my suitcase, and I ended up in jail. Scary!”

The amount of drug found in Paul’s suitcase was enough to issue a warrant for smuggling charges, but he convinced the officers that it was meant for personal use, not distribution. Paul was eventually released.

But was the Japan drug bust the only time Paul was arrested?

And was Linda also ever caught with Paul since she had also been a frequent drug user. Did the couple spend any other nights apart?

Let us dig deeper.

Was Paul McCartney’s drug bust the first time he was away from Linda?

Paul McCartney’s drug bust in 1980 was the first time he was away from his wife, Linda. Otherwise, they were never away from each other.

Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney did share an unbreakable bond.

After a few problems in the marriage, the couple became a household name in America. Linda was seen as a highly successful woman in her own business, and Paul worked on music.

As both claimed throughout the years, what brought them together was the common interest they shared for nature, vegetarianism, and music.

The couple decided to embark on new projects, toured, and recorded several albums together that garnered praise. However, with critical acclaim also came arrests.

Since the couple’s marriage, Paul was involved in 5 notorious drug busts in 1972, 1973, 1975, 1980, and 1984.

While three of these busts only involved Paul, Linda was arrested with her rock-star husband twice in 1975 (Los Angeles) and again in 1984 (Barbados).

Aside from the 1980 bust that I just mentioned, Paul and Linda never spent a night apart from each other.

Was Paul McCartney controlling towards Linda?

Linda McCartney’s literary co-author Peter Cox revealed Paul could be very controlling at times towards Linda. But Paul denied the accusations. However, Paul did purchase tapes from Cox that supposedly revealed his verbal abuse.

Every marriage has its ups and downs and, of course, lows. However, family is the essential thing that can keep husband and wife stuck to each other.

In Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, co-authored with Peter Cox, Cox claims that:

Paul “had a darker side and could be very controlling. Linda often had to dance attendance upon him. He bossed her around.”  

Cox had also been known to possess 19 audio tapes which reportedly contained explosive allegations about Paul abusing Linda.

Later, Paul secretly paid the US dollar equivalent of $269,000 to secure those tapes. (source)

These tapes could shed some light on their marriage. But as of now, nobody is privy to the contents of those tapes. So all the sensational claims made by Peter Cox cannot be taken as evidence until Paul confirms anything.

Was Paul McCartney always faithful to Linda?

Paul McCartney was faithful to Linda for the entirety of their marriage. The only night apart they spent was when Paul was in jail in Japan for 9 days.

The Beatles were probably the most written about groups in the music industry. Each member’s life is well documented.

The musician was linked to a string of women over the years, including Jane Asher, Peggy Lipton, Maggie McGivern, and many others.

But everything changed when he met Linda. 

He loved his wife dearly and never thought about any other relationship. A man as busy as him doesn’t have much idle time, so entertaining and being with family is what always occupied him.

Additionally, there are no credible stories that can prove Paul ever cheated on Linda.

He loved his wife dearly and remained with her till her death. Surrounded by the family, Paul bid farewell to his loving wife’s lasting memories.

But did the remaining Beatles attend Linda’s funeral?

Luckily, I covered that in my recent article. I got into the entire guest list, including whether George and Ringo were there. But I also got into whether Paul invited Yoko.

Just click the link to read about it.

Did Linda McCartney want to leave Paul McCartney?

Linda McCartney did not want to leave Paul. The recordings of Linda McCartney that her co-author sold to Paul allegedly claimed that Linda was unhappy in her marriage to Paul McCartney and wanted to leave him. But the claim is not true. 

An intimate account of Linda’s confession gives a remarkable insight into her relationship with Paul McCartney.

Documented in a series of 20 hours of audiotapes by Peter Cox, her co-author, Cox claims that:

“leaving Paul did cross her mind, but she rejected it. There were times that Linda would feel depressed about her marriage.”

But Paul has denied the allegations, and apparently, his daughters Heather and Stella were “incensed” by the claims.

Linda’s family was the most important thing in her life, and she never wanted to give it up. The couple stayed together for 29 years. They presented themselves as blissfully happy.

Linda was dedicated. Paul appreciated her relaxed attitude for life, most evident when she was diagnosed with cancer and still tried positive.

But did she know she was going to die?

Read my recent article to learn the truth about her diagnosis and whether Paul and the doctors were honest with her about the prognosis. Did she pass never knowing the truth about her condition??

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Why were Paul and Linda so close?

Paul McCartney and his wife Linda grew so close as they married shortly before the demise of the Beatles and moved to rural Scotland to start and raise their family. While they eventually returned to the spotlight, that early time in relative isolation solidified their connection.

There is no better way to answer this question than listening to Paul McCartney’s “You Gave Me the Answer”. The song is reportedly dedicated to Linda.

Just listen to the lyrics:

You gave me the answer to love eternally 

I love you and you; you seem to like me 

Wherever we wander, the local folk agree 

I love you and you; you seem to like me

I think part of Paul’s attraction towards Linda can also be confirmed from Paul’s following statement:

“I liked her as a woman; she was good-looking, so physically I was attracted to her. I also liked her sense of independence. Her mental attitude is quite rebellious. She disliked socializing. We both liked natural surroundings and shared a love for nature, which became one of our most important emotional links.” 

Another thing to notice here is that Linda gave up her musical differences, business differences in hopes of having a better time with her family.

And when Paul fell into a deep depression after the Beatles’ breakup, Linda helped Paul come out of the emotional crisis.

Paul once revealed that he was amazed at how much he needed her. And “every song I write is for Linda.”

Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney Interview On Wogan 1987

Conclusion

The ex-Beatles Paul McCartney married celebrity photographer Linda Eastman in 1969. The couple’s relationship popularly drew attention for their incredible bond.

Like every marriage, the couple had their ups and downs but kept it stronger together. They never went wild and crazy for media attention.

Instead, they enjoyed each other’s company so much that there would often be talks in the media that the couple never spent a night apart from each other, which appears to be confirmed on many levels.

While most women who marry hugely successful rock stars don’t stay married for long, Linda was indeed a remarkable person. She valued her time with her husband.

Photo which requires attribution:

Linda_McCartney_and_husband_Paul_1976.jpg by Jim Summaria is licensed under CC3.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a graphic and text overlay added.

Image by b0red from Pixabay

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