The one man who became John Lennon’s true “soul mate”
His spiritual tendencies might not have branded him as everybody’s cup of tea, but John Lennon almost always formed deep connections with those in his inner circle. Aside from being part of the biggest band in history, Lennon journeyed through an endless quest for enlightenment and found solace in the idea that fate was already planned out; all he had to do was find peace.
During their tenure, The Beatles earned incredible achievements, many of which had never been touched by other musical acts in all of history. Fans became endeared to their music, of course, but they also enjoyed the different personalities of each member, which sparked the Beatlemania movement and the first real iteration of fan ‘hype’ of its kind.
However, each member’s unique stories and realities paralleled this success. Most of the time—particularly in the early days—they could seek and find comfort in each other, knowing that they were the only four people on earth who understood the calibre of fame they were experiencing. Even when things became a little more complicated, there was always common ground, even if it felt like the furthest touchpoint in the world.
From the start, the group had several consistencies in their lives. In addition to each other, their manager, Brian Epstein, guided everything from their musical output to their physical appearances. Therefore, when he died in 1967 while the boys were deep in their spiritual journeys in India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the news came as a shock, leaving them feeling devastated about losing a friend and a significant mentor.
The band previously experienced loss with the passing of former member Stuart Sutcliffe, who was in the band with another of Lennon’s best friends—Pete Best. As Lennon grew and matured with the band, he viewed mortality and death in a different light and came to terms with accepting it as a natural part of life. However, youthful and filled with endless questions in 1962 at the age of 22, Sutcliffe’s passing hit the musician particularly hard and he immediately fell into “hysterics”, according to his former girlfriend.
The later passing of Epstein would send Lennon into a similar state of despair, according to Yoko Ono, but Sutcliffe’s death triggered something more profound in him that made him unable to calm down in moments when it particularly hit home. According to Ono, this was because he viewed Sutcliffe as his “soul mate”. After his mother tragically died four years prior, it’s no wonder Lennon would refrain from discussing Sutcliffe for the rest of his life and career despite the undeniable robustness of their prior connection.
Many claim Lennon’s relationship with the late musician to have been complicated, especially considering reports of them getting into a fistfight in the days before his death after he said he wanted to quit the band. However, leaving things on bad terms often worsens grief, especially if the person was admired and respected, which was no doubt the case with Lennon. Some say that his immediate response, laughter, seems inappropriate, but the likelihood was that it was nothing more than a manifestation of shock at suddenly losing someone you looked up to.
