Sean Lennon Recalled the Only Time He Saw John Lennon Cry

John Lennon died when his son, Sean, was young. During his lifetime, they had a close relationship, though Sean can recall his father’s temper. He can also remember a softer side to the former Beatle, though. He recalled a time when a pet’s death brought John to tears. Sean said this was the only time he could remember seeing his father cry.

Sean Lennon said he only remembered seeing John Lennon cry once

Sean said that when he was a child, he saw a more emotional side to his father than the public did. 

“I remember one time he accidentally let one of the heavy wooden doors at The Dakota slam on my finger,” he said in the book John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman (via Page Six). “And he was very upset about that. My fingernail eventually fell off.”

He said that he could only remember seeing John cry once. The artist deeply mourned the loss of his pet cat.

“Alice, our black cat, had jumped out the window after a pigeon and died, and I remember that was the only time, I think, I ever saw my dad cry.”

Sean Lennon said that John Lennon had a temper

While Sean remembered a softer side to his father, he also recalled his temper. John spoke openly about his anger.

“[He was] teaching me how to cut and eat steak, which was a mystery to me at age 4; how to stick the fork in and cut behind it, and that was how you got a piece in your mouth,” he said. “I think it was that night when he got very upset with me, I think because of something I did very cheekily with the steak. He did wind up yelling at me very, very loudly to the point where he damaged my ear, and I had to go to the hospital.”

Sean said John seemed to regret his outburst almost immediately.

“I remember when I was lying on the floor and hurting, and him holding me and saying, ‘I’m so sorry.’ He did have a temper.”

He spoke about his pride in his son

Sean was John’s second son. In 1963, he welcomed Julian with his first wife, Cynthia Lennon. Still, he described his younger son as his greatest pride. John took responsibility for raising him.

“He didn’t come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish,” Lennon said in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview With John Lennon and Yoko Ono by David Sheff. “That’s because I took him to the ‘Y.’ I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of those things. He is my biggest pride, you see.”

Over the years, Julian Lennon has spoken about his complicated feelings about his father.