John Lennon and May Pang

May Pang and John Lennon dated from October, 1973 to February, 1975. They were in Parting Ways. An Unauthorized Story on Life After the Beatles (2009) together.

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John Lennon

British, Musician

(1940-1980) · aged 40

May Pang

American former music executive

(1950-) · age 74

Key details

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Relationship snapshot

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Personal profiles	John Lennon and May Pang
Relationship type	Relationship
Relationship status	Separated
Start date	Sep 1973
End date	Feb 1975
Where/how first met	In 1970, when she was asked to help Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono with their avant-garde film projects
Couple notable fact	Lennon and Ono were having marital problems and decided to separate, and Ono suggested to Pang that she become Lennon's companion. Pang encouraged Lennon to re-connect again with Paul McCartney and his first wife Cynthia Powell Lennon and their son Julian
View	WDW profile
Couple ID	1734390
Reference	Google

Relationship timeline

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1970s

1970

When she was 19, she began work in New York as a receptionist at ABKCO Records, Allen Klein’s management office, which at that time represented Apple Records and three former Beatles: John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
John 29, May 19

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Dec 1970

Pang was asked to help John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono with their avant-garde film projects, "Up Your Legs Forever" and "Fly".
John 30, May 20

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1971

Pang was then asked to be Lennon and Ono’s secretary and factotum (domestic worker) and gofer (employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s)) in New York City and Britain, which led to a permanent position as their personal assistant when the Lennons moved from London to Manhattan in 1971.
John 30, May 20

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Jun 1973

In mid-1973, Pang was working on the recording of Lennon’s "Mind Games" album. Lennon and Ono were having marital problems, and Ono (aged 40) suggested to Pang (aged 22) that she become Lennon’s companion. Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, they had been arguing and were growing apart, and that Lennon would start seeing other women. She pointed out that Lennon had said he found Pang sexually attractive. Pang replied that she could never start a relationship with Lennon as he was her employer and married. Ono ignored Pang’s protests and said that she would arrange everything. Ono later confirmed this conversation in an interview.
John 32, May 22

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Oct 1973

John and May hooked up together.
John 32, May 22

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Oct 1973

On October 1973, Lennon and Pang left New York for Los Angeles to promote his album "Mind Games", and decided to stay for a while. While there, Lennon was inspired to embark on two recording projects: to make an album of the old rock ‘n’ roll songs that inspired him to become a musician, and to produce another artist.
John 32, May 22

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Dec 1973

On December 1973, Lennon collaborated with Phil Spector to record the oldies album "Rock ‘n’ Roll". Lennon’s drinking and Spector’s erratic behavior (which included his firing a gun in the studio control room) caused the sessions to break down. Then Spector, who claimed to have been in a car accident, took the session tapes and became unreachable.
John 33, May 23

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26 Dec 1973

John Lennon's new girlfriend May Pang helped to arrange a visit for his son Julian and ex-wife Cynthia. Julian Lennon, age 10, was reunited with his father in Los Angeles after not seeing him in over two years. May Pang arranged for Julian and Cynthia to stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Lennon bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul copy guitar and a drum machine for Christmas in 1973, and encouraged Julian’s interest in music by showing him some chords. “Dad and I got on a great deal better then,” recalls Julian. “We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with May Pang. My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear—they were the happiest time I can remember with them”.
John 33, May 23

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Mar 1974

On March 1974, Lennon began producing Harry Nilsson’s Pussy Cats album, thus named to counter the “bad boy” image the pair had earned in the media with two drinking incidents at the Troubadour.
John 33, May 23

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Mar 1974

Lennon thought it would be a good idea for the musicians to live under one roof to ensure they would get to the studio on time, so Pang rented a beach house in Santa Monica for her, Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon to live.

At this time, Pang encouraged Lennon to reach out to family and friends. He and Paul McCartney mended fences and played together for the first and only time after the breakup of the Beatles.
John 33, May 23

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Jun 1974

On June 1974, Lennon and Pang returned to live in Manhattan. Lennon stopped drinking and concentrated on recording. Lennon previously had cats while he lived at his Aunt Mimi’s house in Liverpool; he and Pang adopted two cats that they named Major and Minor
John 33, May 23

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23 Aug 1974

In the early summer, Lennon was working on his "Walls and Bridges" album when the couple moved into a penthouse apartment at 434 East 52nd Street. On August 23, Lennon and Pang claimed to have seen a UFO from their terrace, which had a panoramic view of Queens.
Lennon called photographer Bob Gruen and told him what had happened. Gruen called the local police precinct which confirmed that three other people had reported a sighting, and the Daily News wrote that five people had reported a sighting in the same area of New York where Lennon and Pang lived. Lennon references the incident in the song “Nobody Told Me”.
John 33, May 23

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26 Sep 1974

Lennon's album "Walls and Bridges" rose to the top spot on the album charts. Lennon achieved his only number-one solo US single in his lifetime with “Whatever Gets You thru the Night”. Pang’s is the voice whispering Lennon’s name on “#9 Dream”. “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” was written about her.
John 33, May 23

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26 Sep 1974

Pang received an RIAA gold record award for her work on "Walls and Bridges", she was only 24.
John 33, May 23

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Feb 1975

Breakup
John 34, May 24

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Feb 1975

May Pang continued her work as production coordinator of Lennon’s "Rock ‘n’ Roll" album, released on February 1975, where she was credited as “Mother Superior”.
John 34, May 24

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Feb 1975

While visiting Mick Jagger at Andy Warhol’s compound in Montauk, New York, Lennon and Pang saw a Scottish-style cottage for sale close to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Lennon asked a real estate broker to put in an offer for it in February 1975.
John 34, May 24

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Feb 1975

In the same month, Lennon and Pang were also planning on visiting Paul and Linda McCartney in New Orleans, where their band Wings were recording the Venus and Mars album, but Lennon reconciled with Ono the day before the planned visit, after Ono said she had a new cure for Lennon’s smoking habit. After the meeting, he failed to return home or call Pang. When Pang telephoned the next day, Ono told her that Lennon was unavailable because he was exhausted after a hypnotherapy session. Two days later, Lennon reappeared at a joint dental appointment; he was stupefied and confused to such an extent that Pang believed he had been brainwashed. Lennon told Pang he had reconciled with Ono and their relationship was over. Over the coming years, Pang quietly met Lennon a few times but their relationship was never rekindled.
John 34, May 24

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