John Lennon and George Harrison have been dead for a combined 69 years – and artificial intelligence has now revealed what they might have looked like today.
The Beatles guitarist and singer John - who always said he hated one Paul McCartney song and mainly wrote songs solo before collaborating as a duo on final adjustments - was assassinated in 1980 when he was just 40. While lead guitarist George - who fought to have The Beatles record their 'greatest' song together - died of lung cancer aged 58 in 2001.
After a major film announcement involving four Hollywood stars was made today (April 1), we asked AI imaging software Midjourney to imagine what the two deceased members of the legendary band would look like if they were still with us.
John Lennon
In the first AI pic, John, who would be 84 if he had survived being shot outside his home in New York, is seen wearing his iconic spectacles while sporting his famed shoulder-length brunette hair. In the second image, he is immortalised further by playing a guitar, a tribute to his immense talent. Here, he is seen with cheeks that are slightly sunken but the wrinkles are only few.
And the AI depiction of him is somewhat more believable when you consider how youthful his friend Paul McCartney still looks at the age of 82.
Tragically, John was assassinated by Mark David Chapman who gunned him down because he was jealous of his lifestyle.
Speaking about the brutal death of his bandmate, Paul told SiriusXM in 2022: “When John died, it was so difficult. It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special."
George Harrison
AI portrayed George as also rocking his trademark long hair, but they showed him having greyed gracefully with age. He is seen with a wise expression looking directly at the camera while wearing a colourful jacket and scarf.
He would be 82 if he was alive right now and they pictured him with a grey beard and a lot more wrinkles than his old friend John.
In a second image, they showcased him doing what he did best, strumming a guitar, while having slight bags under his eyes.
He died of cancer in Beverly Hills, LA, and Paul said at the time: “I am devastated and very very sad. We knew he’d been ill for a long time. He was a lovely guy and a very brave man and had a wonderful sense of humour. He is really just my baby brother.”
While George was often overshadowed by Paul and John, he was still a talented songwriter.
He previously explained how he found it "difficult" to record his own song with the other Beatles, who were "used to just cranking out their tunes".
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But, eventually, he managed to record While My Guitar Gently Weeps – which has gone on to become one of the bands' most popular songs.
New films
The Beatles will be immortalised even further after a stellar cast was revealed to represent the Liverpool musicians in four films.
Gladiator’s Paul Mescal will play Paul, Salturn’s Barry Keoghan will be Ringo Star, Marvel’s Joseph Quinn takes on George while Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson will portray John.
It will be directed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes who said: “Each one is told from the particular perspective of just one of the guys.
They intersect in different ways - sometimes overlapping, sometimes not. They're four very different human beings. Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply. But together, all four films will tell the story of the greatest band in history.”
The films are expected to be released “in proximity" to each other in April of 2028.
