Incredible Vintage Photos of The Beatles with Their Kids, Plus What They're All Up to Now

John, Paul, George and Ringo were all proud dads of talented children

John Lennon with son Julian in 1968; Paul McCartney with daughter Stella in 1975
John Lennon with son Julian in 1968; Paul McCartney with daughter Stella in 1975. Photo:

Michael Webb/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty; Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty

While The Beatles are best known for producing some of the greatest rock music ever, they also produced a brood of talented children.

By the time “Beatlemania” reached its peak in the mid-1960s, John Lennon and Ringo Starr already had one son each, and all four members of the band had become fathers by 1978. Many of their children have gone on to successful careers in music, fashion and other creative fields.

Here’s a look back at John, Paul, George and Ringo with their children throughout the years.

01 of 16

John Lennon’s Son, Julian Lennon

John Lennon and Yoko Ono with son Julian in 1968
John Lennon and Yoko Ono with son Julian in 1968.

Bettman

John Lennon was the first of the Fab Four to become a father. His eldest son, Julian Charles John, was born in 1963 while Lennon was married to his first wife Cynthia (not pictured). The couple divorced in 1968.

02 of 16

John Lennon’s Son, Sean Lennon

John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon
Yoko Ono and John Lennon with son Sean Ono Lennon in the 1970s. Sean Lennon/Instagram

John Lennon married singer and artist Yoko Ono in 1969. The couple welcomed their son Sean Tara Ono in 1975, five years before Lennon’s tragic death at the age of 40.

03 of 16

Julian Lennon and Sean Ono Lennon Now

Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon attend the Stella McCartney "Get Back" Capsule Collection and documentary release of Peter Jackson's "Get Back" at The Jim Henson Company on November 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon in 2021. Rich Fury/Getty

Like his iconic father, Julian Lennon (left), now 61, went on to become a successful musician, releasing seven studio albums. His debut, 1985’s Valotte, earned him a Grammy nomination for best new artist. He is also a film producer, photographer and children’s book author.

Also a musician, Sean Ono Lennon’s extensive discography includes four solo albums and collaborations with his mother, Yoko Ono, plus Lana Del Rey, Marianne Faithfull and many others. The 48-year-old was an executive producer on the animated short film War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, which won an Academy Award in 2024. He has been in a relationship with fellow musician Charlotte Kemp Muhl since 2005.

04 of 16

Paul McCartney’s Kids, Heather, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice McCartney

Paul McCartney poses with his wife Linda (1941 - 1998), and their daughters, left to right, Heather, Stella and Mary at an airport, 30th June 1975
Paul McCartney with daughters Heather, Stella and Mary in 1975. Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty

John Lennon may have had the first baby Beatle, but Paul McCartney had the most! When McCartney married photographer Linda Eastman in 1969, he adopted her daughter from a previous marriage, Heather Louise. The McCartneys went on to have three children together: Mary, born in 1969; Stella, born in 1971; and James, born in 1977. Following Linda’s death from breast cancer in 1998, McCartney married former model Heather Mills in 2002. The couple had one daughter, Beatrice, in 2003, before divorcing in 2008.

05 of 16

Heather McCartney Now

Paul McCartney, his wife Linda (1941 - 1998) and her daughter Heather at the premiere of the new James Bond film 'Live And Let Die', for which he composed the title music
Heather, Linda and Paul McCartney circa 1973.

Express/Getty

Paul McCartney's daughter Heather, now 61, contributed backing vocals on two of her famous father's albums, but has largely stayed out of the public eye. She has worked as a potter and in 1999 launched a homeware brand, the Heather McCartney Houseware Collection.

06 of 16

Mary McCartney Now

Sir Paul McCartney and Mary McCartney attend the UK Premiere of "The Beatles: Get Back" at Cineworld Empire on November 16, 2021 in London, England.
Paul McCartney with daughter Mary McCartney in 2021. Karwai Tang/WireImage

Paul and Linda McCartney's eldest daughter together, 54-year-old Mary, inherited her mother's love of photography. Her work has appeared in GQ and Vogue, and she took Queen Elizabeth II's official portrait in 2015.

Mary has written several vegetarian cookbooks and her cooking show, Mary McCartney Serves It Up, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2022. She also directed the 2022 documentary If These Walls Could Sing, about Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles frequently recorded in the '60s. She is the mother of four children.

07 of 16

Stella McCartney Now

Stella McCartney and Sir Paul McCartney pose backstage at the Stella McCartney show during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 at Centre Pompidou on October 3, 2022 in Paris, France
Stella McCartney and Paul McCartney in 2022. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

Probably the most famous of the Beatles babies, 52-year-old Stella McCartney is a world renowned fashion designer. Continuing her parents' commitment to vegetarianism and animal rights, her eponymous label is known as much for its emphasis on sustainability and animal-friendly practices as for its chic designs. Here she is photographed with her father backstage at her Spring/Summer 2023 womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week in 2022.

08 of 16

James McCartney Now

James McCartney (L) and Sir Paul McCartney attend The London 2014 Stella McCartney Green Carpet Collection during London Fashion Week at The Royal British Institute on September 14, 2014 in London, England
James McCartney and Paul McCartney in 2014. David M. Benett/Getty

The most musical of the McCartney kids, 46-year-old James has collaborated on two of his famous father’s solo albums, as well as a posthumous collection of songs written by his mother, Linda. He’s also released two EPs and two studio albums of his own, including 2016’s The Blackberry Train. This year, James has released two new songs, including last month’s "Primrose Hill," a collaboration with Sean Ono Lennon

09 of 16

Beatrice McCartney Now

Paul McCartney & Heather Mills during 2002 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted by Graydon Carter
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills in 2002. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

The youngest of both McCartney’s children and the broader Beatles clan, 20-year-old Beatrice McCartney is Paul’s only child from his second marriage to Heather Mills, which ended in 2008. Beatrice has largely stayed out of the public eye.

“I’m very proud of the fact that I have kept her image completely protected,” Mills told Oprah Winfrey in 2016, when Beatrice was just 13 years old. “She’s not mixing in celebrity lifestyle, she’s not out in public places where the whole celebrity thing goes on.” Mills has also said that Beatrice aspires to be “a marine biologist, not a pop star.”

10 of 16

Ringo Starr’s Son, Zak Starkey

Ringo Starr and his 19 year old wife Maureen with their baby Zak one week after his birth at Queen Charlotte Maternity Hospital on September 21, 1965 in London, United Kingdom
Maureen Cox and Ringo Starr with son Zak in 1965. Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho/Getty

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was the second band member to become a father when he and first wife Maureen Cox welcomed their eldest son Zak in 1965.

11 of 16

Ringo Starr’s Kids, Zak, Jason and Lee Starkey

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr's children (L-R): future Who/Oasis drummer Zak Starkey, 23; Lee Starkey, 18; Jason Starkey, 21, pose outside during their mother Maureen's wedding to Isaac Tigrett in 1989
Zak Starkey, Lee Starkey and Jason Starkey in 1989. Ian Cook/Getty

During Ringo and Maureen’s 10-year marriage, they had two more children: a second son, Jason, born in 1967; and a daughter, Lee, born in 1970. Starr and Cox divorced in 1975. All three of their children share Ringo’s real last name, Starkey.

12 of 16

Zak Starkey Now

Zak Starkey (L) and father Ringo Starr attend the launch of "Issues", a new album by SSHH in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, at The Box on September 5, 2016 in London, England
Zak Starkey and Ringo Starr in 2016. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

Both Zak and Jason Starkey inherited the Beatles drummer’s talents for percussion. Zak Starkey, 58, has played drums with iconic acts like The Who, Oasis and Yoko Ono, and co-founded the record label Trojan Jamaica. He co-produced and played guitar on Jamaican reggae band Toots and the Maytals’ 2020 album Got to Be Tough, which won a Grammy Award in 2021.

He is the father of two daughters, 38-year-old Tatia Jayne from his first marriage to Sarah Menikides, and 3-year-old Luna Lee Lightnin from his marriage to current partner Sharna "Sshh" Liguz.

13 of 16

Jason Starkey Now

Jason Starkey (L) and James McCartney attend the ROCKINS London Fash Bash
Jason Starkey and James McCartney in 2015.

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images 

After drumming for indie bands and with brother Zak in their short-lived group Musty Jack Sponge and the Exploding Nudists, 56-year-old Jason Starkey went on to become a road manager and later turned to photography. He is married to Superfine Jeans co-founder Flora Evans, with whom he shares four sons, including 24-year-old actor Louis Starkey. 

14 of 16

Lee Starkey Now

Jay Mehler, Lee Starkey and Ringo Starr attend the launch party for Mary McCartney's new book 'Mary McCartney: From Where I Stand'
Jay Mehler, Lee Starkey and Ringo Starr in 20210.

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Lee Starkey, 53, grew up to become a makeup artist and fashion designer. She and her longtime partner, musician Jay Mehler, are the parents of triplets Smokey, Jakamo and Ruby Tiger. 

15 of 16

George Harrison’s Son, Dhani Harrison

George Harris with wife Olivia and son Dhani in Paris in 1988.
Olivia and George Harrison with son Dhani in 1988.

GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

George Harrison waited the longest to have a child. It had been eight years since The Beatles broke up when Harrison and then-fiancée Olivia Arias welcomed their only son, Dhani, in August of 1978. Harrison and Arias wed the following month and remained together until the singer’s death at the age of 58 in 2001.

16 of 16

Dhani Harrison Now

Olivia Harrison (L) and singer-songwriter Dhani Harrison attend the "I ME MINE" George Harrison book launch
Olivia Harrison and Dhani Harrison in 2017.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

After attending military school and studying physics and industrial design at Brown University, Dhani Harrison worked as an aerodynamicist for British sports car company McLaren. But the pull of his father’s musical legacy was seemingly irresistible. He worked on George’s final, posthumously released album Brainwashed, playing on the instrumental track “Marwa Blues,” which won a Grammy Award in 2004. Dhani released three albums and two EPs with his band Thenewno2, as well as one with Fistful of Mercy.

In recent years he’s release two solo albums, including last year’s Innerstanding. Dhani married former model Sólveig Káradóttir in 2012. The couple separated in 2016.