Paul McCartney Celebrates John Lennon's 83rd Birthday: 'Wonderful Friend and Collaborator'

The singer-songwriter shared a tribute to his Beatles bandmate who died in 1980

Paul McCartney is honoring his late bandmate and friend, John Lennon.

On Monday, the English singer-songwriter paid tribute to the Beatles icon on what would have been his 83rd birthday.

"Celebrating the birthday of my wonderful friend and collaborator, @johnlennon," McCartney, 81, wrote on Instagram, signing off with "Paul," and a black heart emoji.

Alongside the caption, he shared a black-and-white photo of himself on stage with an image of Lennon smiling behind him on a large screen, wearing his signature round spectacles.

The two are known as one of the greatest songwriting duos of all time having penned classic hits such as "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

Related: Paul McCartney First Saw John Lennon on a Liverpool Bus and Thought 'That's a Cool-Looking Guy'

Peace activist Lennon died after being shot outside his Manhattan apartment on Dec. 8, 1980, at the age of 40. He left behind his wife, Yoko Ono, and two young sons, Julian Lennon, now 60, and Sean Lennon, 48 — along with millions of mourning fans around the world.

During an interview with SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel in December 2022, McCartney shared the grief he experienced after Lennon's death.

"When John died, it was so difficult," McCartney told host Tom Frangione. "It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special."

He said that Lennon's death hit him so hard, "that I couldn't really talk about it."

Related: John Lennon Honored by His Sons, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on 40th Anniversary of His Death

"I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died and turning the TV on and seeing people say, 'Well, John Lennon was this and what he was was this', " the legend recalled. "It was like, I don't know, I can't be one of those people."

"I can't just go on TV and say what John meant to me," he explained. "It was just too deep. It's just too much."

"I couldn't put it into words," he added.

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Lennon shared the same birthday as his son Sean, who re-posted throwback photos from fans on his Instagram Stories on Monday. One touching snap featured the pair blowing out candles together when Sean was a toddler.

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