BROTHERLY BEEF?

John Lennon’s Son Sets Record Straight on Brothers’ Inheritance

Lennon’s sons have maintained a close relationship despite a complicated family history.

Seán Ono Lennon is pushing back on claims that he inherited most of his famous father John Lennon’s estate while his older half-brother, Julian, was largely cut out.

“Julian and I inherited the same amount from our dad. Our trusts were equal. Although his was slightly more, but negligibly so,” John Lennon’s younger son wrote on X on Monday.

The clarification came after Seán posted a photo of himself Monday with Julian, prompting political commentator Wesley Yang to contrast the brothers’ childhoods and what he described as their vastly different inheritances.

John was largely absent during Julian’s early childhood because of Beatlemania and his divorce from Cynthia when Julian was five. They reconnected later in life, but their early years were reportedly marked by emotional distance.

Yang described Julian as “abandoned by his famous Dad” and Seán as “embraced and closely attended to by the same Dad.” He also claimed that one brother inherited most of the estate while the other was forced into years of litigation to secure a comparatively small share.

Seán disputed that account of their inheritances, though he did not specify the amounts involved or clarify whether he was comparing their original trusts or what they ultimately received after Julian’s settlement with the estate.

Julian previously challenged his father’s estate after being omitted from his will, according to estate-litigation attorney Michael A. Hackard, who described the dispute as a 16-year legal battle. A settlement was reached in 1996. Its terms were not publicly disclosed, though reports put its value at £20 million, or about $31.2 million.

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The brothers’ different relationships with their father have long drawn public attention.

John and Cynthia divorced when Julian was five. In a 2023 Esquire interview, Julian said he “rarely saw” his father afterward and described the “deep emotional pain” associated with his parents’ split.

John hadn’t seen Julian for several years until his girlfriend, May Pang, encouraged Julian and Cynthia to visit in 1973.

Meanwhile, John welcomed Seán with Yoko Ono in 1975, then stepped away from the music industry for five years to focus on raising him.

Two famous songs also reflect the brothers’ contrasting childhoods. Paul McCartney wrote the Beatles’ 1968 hit “Hey Jude” to comfort five-year-old Julian during his parents’ split. Originally titled “Hey Jules,” the song offered reassurance as John and Cynthia’s marriage unraveled. John later wrote “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” for his younger son, Sean, a tender expression of paternal love released on his 1980 album Double Fantasy.

Despite that complicated family history, the brothers have maintained a close relationship.

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