![](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/image-7cfcddfee9.jpg?w=620)
How old is Paul McCartney and what is his net worth?
And how he turned to alcohol
And how he turned to alcohol
PAUL McCARTNEY is a well-known pop icon with a huge career both as a member of The Beatles and as a solo performer.
But how much is he worth and what did he do when the Fab Four split? Here's all you need to know.
Sir Paul McCartney was born in Walton, Liverpool on June 18, 1942 = making him 81 as of April 2024.
He attended Stockton Wood Road Primary School in Speke from 1947 until 1949, when he transferred to Joseph Williams Junior School in Belle Vale.
In 1953, he passed the 11-plus exam for the local grammar school.
It was at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys that he met bandmate George Harrison, and the pair quickly became friends.
It wasn't until 1957 that he met John Lennon at a church fete.
He joined Lennon's band the Quarrymen, and Harrison became lead guitarist in 1958.
With Stuart Sutcliffe on bass they rebranded as the Beatles in August 1960.
The following year Sutcliffe left and Ringo Starr replaced drummer Pete Best in 1962 - resulting in the Fab Four.
The Beatles have had 18 No1 singles in the UK - including Now And Then in November 2023, 53 years after they split
They also 16 No1 albums.
The band members went their separate ways in 1970.
Over the years, McCartney has been married three times.
He wed Linda Eastman in 1969 but tragically she died from breast cancer in 1998.
He married Heather Mills in 2002 but they divorced in 2008.
He is now married to Nancy Shevell after tying the knot in 2011.
McCartney has five children.
He legally adopted his first wife Linda's daughter Heather and they went on to have Mary, Stella and James.
He also had a daughter with Heather, called Beatrice.
Sir Paul is one of the richest musicians in the world.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a net worth of $1.2billion (around £978.4million).
He will have earned the huge amount throughout his successful music career.
McCartney had a hugely successful career after the legendary band parted ways in 1970.
Following the break up, McCartney released his debut solo album in 1970, McCartney.
He then formed the band Wings with first wife Linda, and Denny Laine.
Wings became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, with more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums.
But Sir Paul later spoke about the depression he suffered after the Beatles broke up, confessing he considered giving up music altogether.
He told BBC Radio 4: "It was difficult to know what to do after The Beatles. How do you follow that?
There wasn't much time to have mental health issues, it was just, f*** it, it's boozing or sleeping
Sir Paul McCartney
"I was depressed. You would be. You were breaking from your lifelong friends."
McCartney also admitted turning to alcohol - and only pulled himself out of it after meeting Linda.
He told GQ Magazine: "In truth, I just took to booze. There wasn't much time to have mental health issues, it was just, f*** it, it's boozing or sleeping."
When Lennon was shot and killed outside his Manhattan home in 1980, McCartney was forced to take a decade out from touring over increased security concerns, but returned to music in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 1997 he was knighted by The Queen “for services to music".
In 2020, he announced that he would be signing off on a new album McCartney III - 40 years after McCartney II.
The release was named The Sun's Album of the Year in 2020.
Outside of music McCartney has also been a strong advocate of vegetarianism and animal rights.
The Beatles' 1970 documentary Let It Be is coming to Disney+ in May 2024.
After decades out of circulation the documentary has been restored by Peter Jackson’s production company.
Let It Be follows the recording sessions of the band’s final album.
It was originally released weeks after the Beatles officially announced their split.
In a statement Jackson said: "I’m absolutely thrilled that … Let it Be has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades.
"I’ve always thought that Let It Be is needed to complete the Get Back story."