Julian & Sean Lennon: The Two Sons Carrying John Lennon’s Legacy Forward
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 18, 2021: At the Stella McCartney “Get Back” Capsule Collection event in Los Angeles, two familiar faces walked the red carpet side by side: Julian Lennon and his half-brother Sean Lennon. The occasion — a celebration of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary — was more than just a fashion-meets-film event. For the sons of John Lennon, it was a full-circle moment of remembrance, rediscovery, and brotherhood.
John Lennon, forever immortalized as a founding member of The Beatles, was a figure of profound cultural and musical influence. Known for timeless anthems like Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need Is Love, and Here Comes the Sun, his voice echoed long after his tragic death in 1980. But perhaps his most enduring legacy lives on in his sons — Julian and Sean — who each bear a different shade of their father’s spirit.
Julian Charles John Lennon, 62: The Firstborn with a Voice of His Own
Born on April 8, 1963, in Liverpool, England, Julian Lennon was the first to inherit John’s piercing eyes and poetic soul. His early years were marked by both the magic of Beatlemania and the quiet unraveling of his parents’ marriage. Paul McCartney famously wrote Hey Jude to comfort young Julian during that turbulent time — a song that would follow him all his life. So much so that in 2022, Julian released an album titled Jude, an introspective work laced with reflections and rediscovery.
“Working on Jude was like talking to myself in the mirror,” Julian told PEOPLE. “It was about finding that peace I remembered from childhood — before everything went pear-shaped.”
Julian was born John Charles Julian Lennon but officially changed his name in 2020. After years of security hassles and awkward airport jokes (“John Lennon?”), he opted to flip his names, becoming Julian Charles John Lennon. “I just didn’t want to carry the anxiety anymore,” he admitted on the Word in Your Ear podcast. “It was time.”
Despite the towering shadow of his father’s fame, Julian has carved out an identity all his own. Over the decades, he has released seven studio albums, earned Grammy nominations, and explored other creative avenues including photography, documentary filmmaking, and even children’s literature. His eco-themed trilogy, starting with Touch the Earth, was designed to teach environmental awareness while subtly honoring his father’s global outlook.
Julian’s memories of his father are vivid, sometimes bittersweet. “When I was 15, 16, we were talking more,” he recalled in a BBC interview. “He played Starting Over for me over the phone. He was happy, he was doing what he loved. That’s how I choose to remember him.”
Sean Taro Ono Lennon, 49: The Artistic Alchemist
Born on October 9, 1975 — the same day his father turned 35 — Sean Lennon came into the world during a more peaceful chapter of John’s life. Raised in New York City by John and Yoko Ono, Sean’s childhood was a blend of artistic brilliance and devastating loss. After John’s murder in 1980, Sean grew up with the ache of a missing parent — and the impulse to fill that silence with music.
“I didn’t play music because I was good at it,” he told PEOPLE in 2024. “I played because I missed him. Learning his songs was like learning how to talk to him again.”
Sean’s musical journey is eclectic and bold. From solo records to experimental collaborations with his mother Yoko Ono, and from The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (a band he formed with longtime partner Kemp Muhl) to the psychedelic rock of the Claypool Lennon Delirium, Sean has constantly reinvented himself. He’s also made his mark behind the scenes, producing albums like Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life.
Despite being twelve years apart in age, Sean and Julian share an undeniable bond — a mix of friendship, fraternity, and mutual understanding. “He’s my best mate,” Julian said in 2021. “We talk daily — like any brothers would.”
It was Sean who convinced Julian to attend a Get Back screening together. “At first I resisted,” Julian said. “But he was insistent. We went as a team. It felt right.”
In 2020, on what would have been their father’s 80th birthday, Sean hosted a heartfelt tribute on BBC Radio, featuring guests like Paul McCartney and Elton John. “Some songs just break me,” he admitted. “It’s like a time machine — it brings me right back to the moments before we lost him.”
Lennon Lives On
Though John Lennon’s life was cut tragically short, his legacy stretches across time — not just in music but in the lives of the two men who call him father.
Julian, the reflective troubadour with a global consciousness.
Sean, the genre-bending artist who channels the spirit of innovation.
Together, they are two halves of a Lennon legacy that continues to evolve — not in the shadow of fame, but in the light of love, loss, and creativity.
