WhenMay Pang’s relationship withJohn Lennonended in 1975 after a whirlwind 18 months, she didn’t know at the time how difficult it would be to love again — but the late Beatle did.
Pang, 72, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that after her “lost weekend” with the musician ended and he went back to wifeYoko Ono, Lennon shared a warning about her future romances that rang true in the years to come.
“He [once] said, ‘You’re going to have a lot of problems because they’re all going to compare themselves to me,'” she says. “I never heard such a true statement.”
The beginning of the pair’s relationship was rather unconventional; Pang was working as a personal secretary to Lennon and Ono when their four-year marriage hit a rough patch in 1973. Amid the tension, Ono wanted time apart — and she wanted Pang to fill that time as Lennon’s new girlfriend.
Eventually, though, love blossomed for Pang and Lennon, and they moved in together before later going their separate ways. They did, however, remain friendly in the five years between their breakup and Lennon’s death, and Pang says they’d meet in secret for romantic liaisons.
Still, their split and Lennon’s eventual death, which she says was “so hard for me to understand,” came with baggage.
May Pang.John Lamparski/Getty
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“It was hard to love again,” she says. “I remember a friend of mine said, ‘I’m going to set you up with a friend of mine. He’s great, loves the Beatles.’ Turns out he said, ‘No, no, I can’t, because I remember her with [Lennon].'”
She continues: “No matter who it is, they all want to know what he was like. I haven’t dated anybody in a long time, because there are a lot of men who are intimidated.”
Pang was married to music producer Tony Visconti from 1989 to 2000, and they share an adult daughter and son. She also went on to have careers in music publishing, acting, writing and jewelry design.
John Lennon, May Pang.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
“I’m just looking for somebody who’s secure in themselves,” she says. “I don’t mind them admiring John, because we all admire him.”
Pang is now telling her story in the documentaryThe Lost Weekend(in theaters April 13), which she says is her chance to tell her story “coming from me.” She will also host two photo exhibitions at City Winery in New York City (April 8 and 9) and Philadelphia (April 15 and 16).
source: people.com
