Sir Paul McCartney doesn't think Yoko Ono's "intrusive" nature caused the breakdown of The Beatles.
Sir Paul McCartney
Many fans of the Fab Four have blamed John Lennon's wife for the iconic band's split, but the group's bassist has suggested she was only so involved because of the couple's love for each other.
Speaking to Howard Stern on SirusXM, he said: "Even though we thought she was intrusive because she used to sit in on the recording sessions and we'd never had anything like that.
"But looking back on it, you think, 'The guy was totally in love with her. And you've just got to respect that.' So we did. And I do."
Paul also opened up on the moment John - who was tragically murdered aged 40 in 1980 - told his bandmates he had decided to leave the group.
He suggested the other members - including George Harrison and Ringo Starr - had all reached the same point in their lives when it was time to move on, even if they didn't realise it at the time.
He added: "There was a meeting where John came in and said, 'I'm leaving the group.' And looking back on it, he'd reached that stage in his life. We all had."
Paul remained in music after the band's split, continuing his career with Wings - releasing seven albums between 1971 and 1979 - and as a solo star.
His 17th solo record 'Egypt Station' will be released on Friday (07.09.18), and he revealed that the title was inspired by a painting he did.
He explained: "I did a painting that kind of had Egyptian-y stuff in it because I like Egyptian [writing]."
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