All About Paul McCartney's Son, James McCartney, and How He's Followed in His Father's Footsteps

Father-of-five Paul McCartney welcomed his only son, James McCartney, in 1977

Paul McCartney’s only son, James McCartney, is following in his famous father’s musical footsteps.

Paul is dad to five children: Heather, Mary, Stella, Beatrice and James, and it’s a title the rock legend clearly treasures. “As far as being a dad is concerned, I've always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance if they seem to need it — but that was mainly when they were younger,” he said in an interview published on his website in February 2023. “Now that they are older, they're guiding me.”

The Beatles star continued, elaborating on how his fatherhood role has changed now that his kids are all adults. “They don't need so much guidance these days, but if there's ever a problem, I'm very happy to be the guy they come to,” he wrote. “So, that's largely the thing of being a dad. You're just there to help, and I suppose have fun with — we do have a lot of fun.”

Paul became a father in 1969 after he married his first wife, photographer Linda McCartney (née Eastman), and adopted her daughter Heather from a previous relationship. That same year, the pair welcomed their first child together, daughter Mary. They went on to have two more kids together: Stella in 1971 and James in 1977.

Following Linda’s tragic death in 1998, Paul married former model Heather Mills in 2002. A year later, the two welcomed Paul's youngest child, daughter Beatrice. Paul and Mills separated in 2006 and, after a contentious legal battle, their divorce was finalized in 2008.

James has said that he struggled with accepting Mills into his family after his mother's death, so was estranged from his father for a period of time. “We drifted quite far apart — it was a difficult period,” James told The Irish Mirror in 2013. “The estrangement was partly because of Heather. It was difficult because of Mum’s death and then moving on, having a new mother.”

However, Paul and James have not only reconciled since then, but their relationship has grown stronger than ever. “[He] is my dad and he is also my best friend,” James told The Irish Mirror.

In June 2024, James shared a sweet Instagram post in honor of his musician father turning 82.

“Happy Birthday Dad. I will always love you,” he wrote. “You are a guiding light that shows me how to move forward. You love me, I love you and that's all that matters. ❤️.”

Here’s everything to know about Paul McCartney’s only son, James McCartney.

He was born in 1977

Paul welcomed his only son, James Louis McCartney, on Sept. 12, 1977, with his late wife Linda in London.

The couple, who wed in 1969, were already parents to three daughters, including Mary Anna McCartney, born in August 1969, Stella Nina McCartney, born in September 1971, and Heather Louise McCartney, Linda’s daughter from a previous marriage who was born in December 1962. Upon their marriage, Paul officially adopted Heather.

He has four sisters

James has four sisters. Along with his mother’s oldest child, Heather, from a previous marriage, his parents welcomed daughters Mary and Stella before he was born, so he spent most of his life as the baby of the family. That changed in October 2003, when his father welcomed a fourth daughter, Beatrice Milly McCartney, with Mills.

James and his three elder sisters grew up just outside of London in East Sussex on a 160-acre farm called Blossom Wood Farm.

“It was a lovely childhood,” he recalled in a 2013 interview with the Daily Mail. “I was shy but enjoyed school. I was protected by my family.”

Unlike most celebrity kids, the McCartneys attended public schools rather than private. “My dad had a normal upbringing, and I think he then wanted to introduce a normal upbringing to us as well, so we went to a comprehensive school,” James told The Irish Mirror in 2013.

Still, he couldn’t escape his famous last name. “Everyone at school knew who my dad was," he added.

Although James and his siblings were raised away from the spotlight, it’s not surprising that they have all pursued creative careers: Heather is a potter, Mary is a photographer and Stella is a fashion designer.

Speaking about his sisters in an interview with Arvind Devalia, James praised them for their creative accomplishments. “I am so proud yet truly humbled by what my family has achieved, the contribution they have made already and the impact they continue to make on the world,” he said.

He struggled after his mom’s death

In 1998, Linda McCartney died at the age of 56 from breast cancer. “She was amazing,” James told Rolling Stone about his mother in 2013. “I always feel honored to meet people who ever met my Mum. It means a lot to me.”

After her death, the then-20-year-old struggled with grief as well as addiction. “I went off the rails a little bit,” he told The Irish Mirror.

“I kinda had my slightly dark period. I got heavily into Nirvana, a bit of Marilyn Manson, these heavy bands,” he continued, adding, “I was finding myself and I was drinking and doing a little bit of drugs.”

He and his father were estranged for some time

When Paul and Mills married in 2002, James was still mourning the loss of his mother and struggled to accept his father’s new wife. Because of that, the pair went through a period of estrangement.

“I went a long time without seeing Dad. We drifted apart,” James told The Irish Mirror in 2013. “We would talk on the phone every few months, but we went a long time without seeing each other. It was sad for both of us.”

Today, however, James is incredibly close with his dad and sisters.

“I removed myself from my family for a while. Now I want to immerse myself in them,” he told the Daily Mail in 2013.

He is a musician

Unsurprisingly, James was interested in music from a young age. “I think having a father like Dad it was hard not to get into music,” he told The Irish Mirror.

As a child, James taught himself how to play guitar and piano and started experimenting with songwriting. He played guitar with his father’s band on tour as well as on some of his albums. On Paul's solo albums Flaming Pie and Driving Rain, James played drums and guitars on a few tracks and co-wrote some of the songs with his dad.

Despite his talents, James didn’t pursue his own music career until he was in his 30s. “It’s hard to live up to The Beatles,” he said of his father's iconic band. In fact, James actually used a stage name for a while to avoid the comparisons. “I started out playing under an alias because I wanted to start quietly," he told The Irish Mirror.

In 2010, James began to publicly share his music with the world, releasing his first EP, Available Light. Three years later, he put out his first full-length album, titled Me. His second album, The Blackberry Train, came out in 2016. Both LPs were co-produced by Paul.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2013, James said his father has always been supportive of his musical pursuits: “He gives me a lot of encouragement, yeah. It’s fun.”

He has collaborated with Sean Ono Lennon

In 2024, Beatles fans got a welcome surprise with the debut of a new McCartney-Lennon song when James collaborated with Sean Ono Lennon, the only son of the late Beatles member John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

On April 12, 2024, James announced the pair's new single “Primrose Hill” in an Instagram post. “I am so very excited to share my latest song co-written by my good friend @sean_ono_lennnon,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself and Sean.

He has a close relationship with Paul's wife Nancy Shevell

In 2011, James' father said "I do" for the third time when he married Nancy Shevell.

“Nancy is great, she’s lovely and Dad’s happy,” James told The Irish Mirror in 2013. “It is difficult to replace Mum, but Nancy is beautiful and wonderful.”

He went on to share that he has found a “new mother” in Shevell. “She’s very genuine. She makes Dad very, very happy. We all adore her," he said.

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