A LIFE IN MUSIC
Paul McCartney
b. 1942 · Male Musician
Early Life
James Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942, in Liverpool, England, into a musical household — his father, Jim, was a jazz musician and pianist, and his mother, Mary, worked as a midwife. Mary McCartney died of cancer in 1956, when Paul was just fourteen, a loss that shaped his early songwriting. He taught himself piano and guitar, drawing inspiration from Little Richard and Buddy Holly.
At fifteen, McCartney joined John Lennon’s skiffle group, the Quarrymen, in 1957. Over the next few years the lineup evolved, eventually becoming the Beatles by 1960, with McCartney serving as bassist, keyboardist, and, alongside Lennon, the band’s primary songwriting engine.
Rise to Fame
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership produced some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, including “Yesterday,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Blackbird” — among the most covered songs in history. Following the death of the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, in 1967, McCartney increasingly stepped into a leadership role within the group, guiding projects like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Magical Mystery Tour film.
Internal tensions and business disputes led to the Beatles’ breakup in 1970. McCartney released his self-produced solo debut, McCartney, that same year, and soon after formed Wings with his wife, Linda, and guitarist Denny Laine, launching the next chapter of his career.
Career Highlights
Wings became one of the biggest acts of the 1970s, with hits including “My Love,” “Band on the Run,” and “Mull of Kintyre,” before disbanding in 1981. McCartney’s subsequent solo work spanned rock, classical, and electronic music, and included major collaborations such as “Ebony and Ivory” with Stevie Wonder and “Say Say Say” with Michael Jackson.
McCartney has won 19 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Primetime Emmy, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — with the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999. He was knighted in 1997. He has remained remarkably active in recent years, performing at the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special in February 2025, releasing a duet version of “My Valentine” with Barbra Streisand in May 2025, speaking out against AI music theft with a protest recording in November 2025, releasing the album The Boys of Dungeon Lane in May 2026, and appearing on the SNL season finale and the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that same month. He also performed privately at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding in July 2026.
Personal Life
McCartney married photographer Linda Eastman in 1969; the couple had four children — Mary, Stella, James, and Heather (Linda’s daughter from a previous relationship, whom Paul adopted) — before Linda’s death from cancer in 1998. He married Heather Mills in 2002, with whom he had a daughter, Beatrice; the couple divorced in 2008. In 2011, he married businesswoman Nancy Shevell, to whom he remains married.
McCartney has remained based between London and the English countryside for much of his life, and has continued touring internationally well into his eighties, drawing audiences across multiple generations to shows built around his Beatles, Wings, and solo catalog.
Net Worth & Legacy
Paul McCartney’s net worth is estimated at roughly £1 billion as of the mid-2020s, built from songwriting royalties, touring, recordings, and a valuable publishing catalog.
From a bereaved Liverpool teenager teaching himself guitar to one half of history’s most celebrated songwriting partnership and a solo artist still releasing new music more than six decades later, McCartney’s catalog and continued creative output have made him one of the most influential and enduring figures in the history of popular music.