McCartney's security fears after Lennon's murder
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY hired a bodyguard because he feared he would be assassinated after his BEATLES bandmate JOHN LENNON was murdered.
McCartney was horrified by Lennon's death in New York in December 1980, at the hands of crazed Mark Chapman.
He was so scared copycats would make a similar attempt on his own life that he hired a personal minder - but sacked him after a month because he hated living like a recluse.
He says, "It was horrific. Suddenly your best friend is snatched away.
"And it was scary. Not just for the guys (The Beatles). Everyone in entertainment suddenly thought 'Woah - we'd better get security'.
"Which I did for about a week, and then I thought, 'I can't live like this.'"