Sir Paul McCartney is still in "denial" about John Lennon's death.

Sir Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney

The former Beatles star was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment by Mark David Chapman in December 1980, and all these years later, Paul still can't bring himself to dwell too much on the tragic incident.

He shared: "I can’t really think about it. It kind of implodes. What can you think about that besides anger, sorrow?

"Like any bereavement, the only way out is to remember how good it was with John.

"Because I can’t get over the senseless act. I can’t think about it. I’m sure it’s some form of denial. But denial is the only way that I can deal with it."

The music icon still walks past the funeral parlour where John's body was taken.

Speaking to the New York Times newspaper, he admitted: "I never pass it without saying: 'All right, John. Hi, John.'"

Paul, 78, sees himself as a "poor working-class kid from Liverpool" who has made it to the top of the music industry.

However, he admits that his meteoric rise in life has seen him become a "complex person".

He reflected: "I’ve had huge success, and people often try to do what I want, so you get a false feeling of omnipotence.

"All that together makes a complex person. We’re all complex. Well, maybe I’m more complex than other people because of coming from poverty."

Earlier this year, meanwhile, Paul admitted to feeling relieved that he and John managed to reunite before his death.

He said: "It really, really would have been a heartache to me if we hadn’t have reunited. It was so lovely too that we did, and it really gives me sort of strength to know that."