June 12, 2002. Copyright, 2002, Graphic News. All rights reserved

A party, a wedding, and a 60th birthday for Sir Paul McCartney
By Mark Samms

LONDON, June 12, Graphic News:  The year in which he will celebrate his 60th birthday seemed destined to be one of the most settled and fulfilling of Paul McCartneyÕs long and distinguished career. In the last month alone he has topped the bill at the Party at the Palace, a huge concert held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace as part of Queen ElizabethÕs golden jubilee celebrations, and married for the second time, to former model Heather Mills.

A millionaire hundreds of times over, one of the most prolific hitmakers in the history of popular music, a knight of the realm and widely respected throughout the world, McCartney seemed set to approach the autumn of his life by making a fresh start. He hoped to put behind him four harrowing years in which he lost his beloved wife Linda and fellow former Beatle, George Harrison, whom he regarded as a younger brother.

But it is rumoured that all is not well in the one area he values most of all and the one into which he has invested so much time, effort and love Ð his family.

The tight McCartney family unit, which had been the mainstay of PaulÕs life for 29 years, suffered a grievous blow in 1998 when Linda died after a desperate struggle against cancer. A successful businesswoman in her own right, she had also created the perfect domestic environment for her husband and children.

Their way of life belied their super-rich status. The children attended state schools and in the blissful isolation of the family farmhouse in the depths of the English countryside, all were encouraged to work to develop their own talents.

But when Linda died, things began to unravel. A grief-stricken Paul eventually found fresh happiness with Heather Mills, who now campaigns against landmines after losing part of her left leg in a collision with a police motorcycle, and they were married in Ireland last Tuesday. But the wedding is reported to have caused a rift between Paul and his children, in particular fashion designer Stella.

She is said to resent what she regards as a calculated attempt by Heather to take her motherÕs place, and there is little doubt that the strained relationship between his daughter and his new wife has clouded what promised to be a productive period in McCartneyÕs life.
/ENDS