For decades, Julian Lennon, the son of John Lennon, carried the heavy weight of his famous last name.

Born into the world of The Beatles and constantly living in the shadow of his legendary father, Julian’s life was filled with both fame and an emotional distance that shaped his personal and professional journey.

As he turns 60, Julian has finally opened up about his life, his struggles, and the unresolved pain that has haunted him for most of his existence.

In a revealing interview, Julian confesses the heartbreak of growing up in the limelight, fighting for his father’s love, and battling legal wars that threatened to erase his legacy.

Julian’s life has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

From a young boy caught between the turbulence of his parents’ high-profile divorce to a successful career that was often overshadowed by his father’s fame, Julian has faced more than his fair share of challenges.

Despite his own musical talents and achievements, including hits like “Too Late for Goodbyes” and his 1998 album Photograph Smile, Julian has often been regarded by the public as the “other” Lennon — the son of the man who was both a peace icon and a rock and roll legend.

But what most don’t know is the deep personal cost of living up to the expectations placed upon him by both the public and the people closest to him.

Born on April 8, 1963, just weeks after The Beatles hit their first major success, Julian Lennon’s life was intertwined with the monumental rise of his father’s fame.

However, despite the world’s fascination with John Lennon’s musical genius, Julian was often neglected.

As a young child, he witnessed his father’s growing disinterest and emotional distance.

John Lennon was famously absent during much of Julian’s early years, spending most of his time either on tour or focused on his own personal issues.

Julian’s early memories are tainted with loneliness, with his father’s absence becoming a theme that would follow him for decades.

In his early years, Julian was left to develop without the guiding hand of his father.

Cynthia Lennon, Julian’s mother, raised him largely on her own, but the emotional scars from John’s absence ran deep.

Julian was not the child John wanted, and this cruel reality was evident in many of John’s comments.

“Julian reminds me of my failures,” John allegedly said during their divorce proceedings in the late ’60s.

In his mind, Julian was an accident, an unexpected burden that interrupted his rock star lifestyle.

These words would haunt Julian, even as he grew older and tried to carve out his own path.

As Julian got older, the pain of having an absentee father lingered.

The family’s notoriety only worsened the situation, with the media constantly focusing on the Beatles’ breakup and John’s relationships with Yoko Ono and other figures.

When John and Yoko separated, it was clear that Julian’s relationship with his father had fractured irreparably.

During the mid-70s, as John was fully immersed in his relationship with Yoko, Julian became even more distanced from him, struggling to find his place in both the family and the public eye.

One of the most heart-wrenching moments for Julian came when he was just a teenager, and his father publicly declared in a 1980 Playboy interview that Julian was merely a “Saturday night thing” and that his other son, Shawn Lennon, was the “real” child, planned, wanted, loved.

Julian, at the age of 17, read these words in shock.

This was the final blow — the public dismissal of his existence, the statement that he was not as important as the son John had with Yoko.

The emotional wounds only deepened when Julian was left out of his father’s will after his death in 1980.

John had left the bulk of his estate to Yoko Ono, and Julian was given only a small portion of what he was entitled to.

The disparity between what Shawn received and what Julian got sparked a bitter legal battle, one that lasted for years.

Julian fought for his share of his father’s estate, but was eventually forced to settle for a mere $20 million, a fraction of what he might have inherited had Yoko not influenced the distribution.

“I felt erased, like a ghost,” Julian later admitted.

“It was like I didn’t even matter to him.

” For years, he struggled with the emotional toll of being rejected by his father publicly and legally.

He fought to reclaim his birthright and to be acknowledged not only as John Lennon’s son, but as an artist in his own right.

However, the constant comparisons to his father and the pressure to live up to the legacy of The Beatles made it difficult for Julian to carve out his own identity.

Julian tried to push through the shadows of his father’s fame with his own music career.

His debut album Valotte (1984) was successful, selling over a million copies and receiving critical praise.

Yet, the weight of his name was always there, lurking in the background, reminding him of the comparisons, the expectations, and the public’s obsession with his father’s legacy.

“I was constantly living in a shadow,” he confided.

His first hit, “Too Late for Goodbyes,” earned him international recognition, but Julian still struggled with the pressure of living up to his father’s immense shadow.

As Julian entered his late 30s, he began to find solace in his photography, moving away from the spotlight of his music career.

In 2007, he took a major step forward by co-producing the documentary Whale Dreamers, which focused on the spiritual connection indigenous people have with whales.

This project represented a shift away from his father’s world of rock and toward a more reflective, humanitarian focus.

Despite the pain and betrayal that defined so much of Julian’s relationship with his father, the death of John Lennon in 1980 marked a turning point for Julian.

Though he never fully reconciled with his father, he did come to understand that his legacy was intertwined with the music they both shared.

Julian found a way to make peace with his past, especially after connecting with his half-brother Wolfgang Van Halen, who had a special place in his heart for the memory of John.

Over the years, Julian became more involved in charity work, including his White Feather Foundation, which focused on environmentalism and indigenous rights.

Through his music and photography, Julian slowly reclaimed his own narrative — one that was defined by his own vision, not the shadow of his father.

Yet, the loss of John still stung, and Julian’s words, while forgiving, were filled with the quiet sadness of a son who never got the chance to truly heal.

Looking back at his tumultuous relationship with his father, Julian said, “We had our differences, but there was a time when we were brothers.

” His words, filled with emotion, reflect the complexity of their relationship — a bond that was both strong and fractured, full of music, love, and deep pain.

Though John Lennon’s influence continues to resonate in Julian’s life, he now understands that some wounds can never be fully healed.

In his 60s, Julian has accepted that peace doesn’t always come with closure.

Sometimes, it comes through acceptance, through time, and through making peace with what was lost.

For Julian Lennon, the music he created and the foundation he built will always be his greatest legacy — a legacy that proves, despite everything, he’s not just John Lennon’s son, but his own man.

What do you think? Could Julian Lennon have ever fully healed from the pain of his father’s rejection? Or was he always destined to live in John’s shadow? Share your thoughts below.🎸