John Lennon was sadly shot dead in New York during December 1980.
“It’s true. You say that I loved him, but as 16-year-old and 17-year-old Liverpool kids, you couldn’t say that – it just wasn’t done", McCartney revealed.
“So I never did. I never really said, ‘You know, I love you man’. I never really got round to it. So now, it is great to just realise how much I love this man".
McCartney was speaking during a promotional event for his new book McCartney: The Lyrics. At this event, he was asked about what it was like to work with Lennon and form such a creative bond.
Paul stated, “It was always great to work with John, from the very first thing where he said, ‘Yeah, I write songs too’. We just developed a way of working with each other and trusting each other that grew and grew".
He continued, “We both grew up together. [Life] was like walking up a staircase, and we both went side by side up that staircase. It was very exciting. Now that The Beatles’ recording career has finished, I’m like a fan. I just remember how great it was to work with him and how great he was. You’re not messing around here, you’re not just singing with Joe Bloggs – you’re singing with John Lennon".
At this event, poet Paul Muldoon said that the music icon's book illustrates the "love" that Paul McCartney had for his late bandmate and friend.