Linda McCartney and Denny Laine in the 1970s as members of Wings

Linda McCartney (September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998), born Linda Epstein (later changed to Linda Eastman) in Scarsdale, New York, was an American photographer, best known for her marriage to singer Paul McCartney.

Biography

Linda grew up in the Scarsdale area of New York. She established herself as a professional photographer in the rock and roll scene, and met her second husband, Paul McCartney, while photographing groups for a book titled Rock and Other Four Letter Words in 1967. They met at a night club called the Bag o' Nails. They married in 1969. She and Paul raised four children: Heather (from her previous marriage), Stella, Mary, and James.

After the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, Paul began teaching Linda to play keyboards, and included her in the lineup for his new band, Wings. Although Linda was shunned by music critics for her amateur singing and playing skills, Wings garnered several Grammy Awards for their music, and became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s. Linda developed her musical talent through the years, even writing and recording her own music. Her album, Wide Prairie was released posthumously in 1998.

Linda introduced her husband to vegetarianism and popularized a meatless diet through her best-selling cookbooks and line of frozen vegetarian meals. Additionally, Linda was a vocal advocate for animal rights.

When breast cancer claimed Linda's life in 1998, Paul suggested that fans remember her by donating to breast cancer research, "or the best tribute—go veggie".

External links

• Biographical information
• BBC obituary