Tragic death of Paul McCartney at the age of 85
James Paul McCartney ( Liverpool , Merseyside , June 18, 1942 ) is a British singer- songwriter , composer , musician , multi -instrumentalist , writer , activist , painter and actor ; who, along with John Lennon , George Harrison and Ringo Starr , gained worldwide fame for being the bassist and one of the singers of the rock band The Beatles , recognized as the most popular and influential in the history of modern music; his songwriting association with Lennon is one of the most celebrated of the 20th century . After the band split , he continued his solo music career, forming Wings with his first wife, Linda , and Denny Laine .
McCartney was recognized as one of the most successful songwriters and artists of all time, with sixty gold records and surpassing 100,000,000 albums and 100,000,000 singles sold both in his solo work and with The Beatles. Over 2,200 artists have covered his song with The Beatles " Yesterday ", making it the most covered song in popular music history. His 1977 song with Wings, " Mull of Kintyre ", is one of the best-selling singles in the UK. He has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.(as a member of The Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), and has been recognized with twenty-one Grammy Awards (having won them both individually and with The Beatles). McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 , and as of 2014 had sold over 15 million RIAA -certified units in the United States. McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr were made members of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and in 1997, he was knighted for his services to music. 3
McCartney has released a wide catalog of songs as a solo artist and has composed soundtracks for films, classical and electronic music. He has been involved in projects to help international charities dealing with issues such as animal rights , seal hunting , landmine clearance , vegetarianism , poverty, and music education . He has been married three times and is the father of five children.
