Why didn’t Paul McCartney go to his father’s funeral?

Paul McCartney and his father, Jim, were unusually close for fathers and sons of their generation, and remained close until the end of Jim McCartney’s life (the senior McCartney also grew genuinely fond of John Lennon over the years, and was personally upset when The Beatles foundered in 1970).

Why did Paul not attend his dad’s funeral?

Sometimes, what you see is what you get. Paul McCartney was on tour with Wings when his dad passed away in 1976 at age 73. McCartney’s younger brother Michael famously noted that Paul has difficulty responding to emotional grief, no matter how great, particularly in a public situation. He just bottles it up and charges forward.

Also take into account Paul McCartney’s near-legendary work ethic. More than any other rock ’n roll performer since maybe Elvis Presley, McCartney seems personally grateful to every fan who’s ever purchased one of his records—or a ticket to one of his shows.

McCartney rightly seems to consider each ticket to one of his concerts a personal contract between him and his fan. Attending his father’s funeral would’ve caused McCartney to cancel a show or two—and thereby violate the terms of thousands of personal contracts. Just ask Allen Klein how much value Paul McCartney places in a contract.

Add to all that the media circus that would’ve surrounded the funeral of a Beatle’s father and you’ll realize the reason Paul stayed on the road with his band instead of attending his dad’s funeral. He wanted his father to retain in death the enormous dignity he possessed in life. That wouldn’t have been possible if Paul had been in attendance.

Incidentally, Wings member Denny Laine learned of Jim McCartney’s death when Paul was asked about it during a television interview the band was sitting for about the Wings concert they were performing that night.

At the time, Laine was likely among Paul’s closest friends, and he had no idea of Jim McCartney’s passing. Paul hadn’t mentioned it.

That shows you how close to the vest Paul McCartney is about personal and emotional matters: He didn’t even tell his friend Denny Laine about his father’s death.