Yoko Ono pays tribute to Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife

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Yoko Ono said she was 'very saddened' by news of Cynthia Lennon's death
She praised Cynthia, 75, as a 'great person' with a 'strong zest for life'
Cynthia Lennon, nee Powell, married John Lennon after they met at college
She is the mother of the musician's son Julian Lennon, who is now aged 51
But the couple divorced in 1968 after Lennon left her for artist Yoko Ono

By Corey Charlton and Keiligh Baker and Steph Cockroft for MailOnline

Published: 10:40 EST, 1 April 2015 | Updated: 04:24 EST, 2 April 2015

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Yoko Ono has led the tributes to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia calling her a 'wonderful mother' with a 'strong zest for life' after she died at the age of 75 following a short battle with cancer.

The second wife of the Beatles singer said she was 'very saddened' by the news, adding that she was 'proud' how she and Cynthia had 'stood firm in the Beatles family'.

Cynthia, who married Lennon after meeting him in college, died yesterday at her home in Spain. A message on her son Julian's website said he was at her beside throughout, and the family 'are thankful for your prayers'.

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Yoko Ono has led the tributes to John Lennon's first wife Cynthia, posting this photo of the two women with their sons Sean and Julian. She wrote underneath: 'When we were very happy together'

Cynthia Lennon, who died at her home in Spain yesterday, later penned memoirs of her time with her famous husband, who eventually left her for Yoko Ono

This memorial website set up for her by her family carried an image of her surrounded by a love heart and a brief statement explaining she had died after a 'short but brave' battle with cancer

In the statement, Yoko said: 'I'm very saddened by Cynthia's death. She was a great person and a wonderful mother to Julian.

'She had such a strong zest for life and I felt proud how we two women stood firm in the Beatles family. Please join me in sending love and support to Julian at this very sad time.'

Yoko also posted a picture which had been taken in 2010 of the two women with their sons, Julian and Sean.

She captioned the picture: 'When we were very happy together.'

Cynthia Lennon, nee Powell, married Lennon in 1962 and stayed with him as he rose to global stardom with The Beatles until the couple divorced in 1968.

But the pair divorced in 1968 after Cynthia discovered her husband's relationship with the Japanese artist.

Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr added their condolences.

Writing on his website, McCartney, 72, said: 'She was a lovely lady who I've known since our early days together in Liverpool. She was a good mother to Julian and will be missed by us all, but I will always have great memories of our times together.'

Julian Lennon creates moving tribute to his mother Cynthia

Left, a rare photograph taken during a private family holiday shows the couple relaxing on a boat. Right, Cynthia and her and Lennon's son Julian are pictured together at a show in 2006

John Lennon and Cynthia board a flight from Heathrow to New York in 1964 before thousands of adoring fans

Starr, 74, tweeted: 'Peace and love to Julian Lennon God bless Cynthia love Ringo and Barbara xx.'

John Lennon and Cynthia met at college and married just as Lennon's career with The Beatles propelled him to fame.

Julian also tweeted a picture of his mother, who was 75, inside a heart with the message 'In Loving Memory'.

She had such a strong zest for life and I felt proud how we two women stood firm in the Beatles family

Yoko Ono

He also posted a moving video tribute to his late mother with a song he had written in her honor.

'You gave your life for me, you gave your life for love,' it begins, showing footage of him as a young boy with his parents. It also shows footage of Cynthia with John during the early days of Beatlemania.

'The love you left behind will carry on,' Julian sings in a style influenced by his late father. It concludes with the words: 'I know you're safe above.'

Cynthia met Lennon at art school in Liverpool in 1957 and the couple married just before Beatlemania transformed her husband from a jobbing musician into one of the most famous men in the world.

At the height of the Beatles' early success, she was kept so far in the background that many of Lennon's female fans were not even aware of her existence, and she stayed at home bringing up Julian while the Fab Four toured the world and topped the charts.

Cynthia Lennon joins The Beatles at A Hard Day's Night premiere

Cynthia Lennon pictured with The Beatles in 1964 during their rose to global stardom

The couple (pictured together left and right in 1964) divorced in 1968 after Cynthia discovered her husband's relationship with Yoko Ono

John Lennon shares tender moment with Cynthia in 1967

Cynthia Lennon grew up in a middle-class community on the Wirral, met John Lennon while they were both students at the Liverpool College of Art.

The pair married in 1962, when Cynthia was just 22, after she became pregnant with their son Julian.

Beatles' members George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein - who was best man - all attended.

The Lennons bought Kenwood, then a 22-bedroom home, in Weybridge, Surrey, for £20,000 in 1964.

Kenwood became the place to visit for the other Beatles, various American musicians and total strangers that Lennon had met the previous night in London nightclubs.

While she had suspicions of Lennon's infidelity over the years, with friends telling her that Lennon had had numerous affairs as far back as their time together at art college in Liverpool, Cynthia ignored the warnings.

The Lennons' marriage troubles came to a head in February 1968 when Lennon drunkenly confessed to sleeping with other women during their marriage.

Lennon suggested Cynthia take a holiday with friends. She returned to find her husband sitting across from Yoko Ono on the floor - staring into each other's eyes.

In one of her book's she wrote that she then found Yoko's slippers outside their bedroom door - shocked and upset she left the house to stay with friends.

The couple share a laugh together in 1964. Cynthia later described her role in their relationship as like a 'walk on part'

In later years, Cynthia wrote in her book of how she was mistreated by Lennon as he soared to fame

The Beatles' only authorised biographer, Hunter Davies, said the couple's friends at art school never thought the relationship would last because they were such different characters

Cynthia Lennon, pictured in 1968, divorced from the hit songwriter after he met Yoko Ono

After years of trouble, the marriage finally ended in August 1968 when Yoko Ono discovered she was pregnant.

Fearing a lengthy divorce process, the couple settled outside of court, with Lennon agreeing to pay Cynthia £100,000 and give her custody of Julian.

The divorce prompted Paul McCartney to pen the Beatles' classic Hey Jude to help Julian cope with his parents' separation. He changed the name Julian to Jude in the song.

The line 'take a sad song and make it better,' is about the Lennons' broken marriage and its impact on their son.

Cynthia learned of Lennon's death on 8 December 1980, while she was staying with friends in London.

She married Italian hotelier Roberto Bassanini in 1970, divorcing him in 1973. In 1976, she married John Twist, an engineer from Lancashire, but divorced him in 1983.

In an interview to publicise one of her books, 2005's John, she told Good Morning America: 'I have read so many books and seen so many films, and it's like we don't really exist. We are like walk-on parts in his life. We did spend 10 years together.'

Recalling their early days, she said: 'You couldn't resist being around him. You couldn't resist watching what he was up to. I mean, he was a total rebel. Everybody was amazed by him.'

Author Hunter Davies, who wrote the only authorized Beatles biography in 1968, described Cynthia as a 'lovely woman'.

He said that unlike John, she was 'quiet and reserved and calm' and 'not a hippy at all.'

He said their friends at art school never thought the relationship would last because they were so different.

In her book, Cynthia described being mistreated by John. Julian was their only child together.

He said: 'When I was writing the book I spent two years with them, visiting her home and spending time with her.

'I think it was the attraction of opposites between them. When they got together at art school everyone was amazed - she was seen as refined and reserved and nobody thought they would last.

DIVORCE PAPERS SHED LIGHT ON THE LENNON'S RELATIONSHIP

A never-before-seen dossier detailing the bitter breakdown of John Lennon's marriage to his first wife Cynthia was uncovered in February after nearly 50 years.

The five-page document, drafted by the solicitors dealing with the Beatle's divorce in 1968, reveals details of his increasing drug use and his affair with Yoko Ono.

It centres on claims made by Dorothy Jarlett, Lennon's housekeeper of four years, on what she saw while working at the Lennon family home Kenwood in Weybridge, Surrey.

The papers detail his mood swings, aggressive behaviour towards his young son Julian and heated arguments between him and Cynthia.

Mrs Jarlett describes how Yoko Ono would visit the country pile while Cynthia was out of the country, and how she once found the pair in bed together.

She reveals how Lennon became nonchalant towards his wife around 1967 - five years after they tied the knot - when the Beatles were at the height of their fame.

She said Lennon was uninterested in playing the father figure role and that he would smack Julian if he misbehaved.

The statement was made to Herbert Oppenheimer, Nathan and Vandyk - a firm of solicitors in London employed by Cynthia following the breakdown of the marriage.

The document has never been seen before because Lennon and Cynthia settled out of court, with Lennon agreeing to pay her £100,000 and give her custody of Julian.

Cynthia and her son Julian pictured together in 2006 at the opening of The Beatles' LOVE by Cirque du Soleil

Cynthia was often left to look after the couple's son Julian (pictured together in 2011) at home by herself as Lennon traversed the globe with The Beatles