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- Linda McCartney, the American photographer who broke a generation of teen-age girls' hearts when she married Beatle Paul McCartney, has died of cancer, her publicist said Sunday. She was 56.
Linda McCartney died Friday while on vacation in Santa Barbara, Calif., Geoff Baker said. Her husband and children were with her.
''The blessing was that the end came quickly and she didn't suffer,'' a statement from Paul McCartney's office said. Two days before her death, Linda and Paul had been horseback riding, one of her main passions, the statement said.
The couple announced in December 1995 that Linda McCartney, a vegetarian who marketed her own meat-free dishes, was being treated for breast cancer.
The treatment at first appeared to be working well, but in March the cancer was found to have spread to her liver, Sunday's statement said.
It said Sir Paul, 55, will issue a statement later in the week and asked that people wanting to send flowers should give a donation to charities involved in cancer research, animal welfare, ''or - best of all - the tribute that Linda herself would like best: Go veggie.''
Linda Eastman was already acclaimed for her moody, gritty photographs when she married Paul McCartney in 1969. They had three children, Mary, 27, Stella, 25, and James, 19.
The McCartneys largely avoided the celebrity lifestyle and lived quietly in remote homes in southern England and Scotland, saying they wanted a normal upbringing for their children and Heather, Linda McCartney's daughter from her first marriage to geophysicist John Melvyn See. Yoko Ono, the widow of Beatle John Lennon, said she was deeply saddened to hear of McCartney's death.
''She's in a state of shock,'' Ono's publicist Elliott Mintz said. ''She spoke to Linda within the past year and Linda sounded her usual, powerful self to Yoko.'' Many activists hailed her support for their causes.
''Linda was always upbeat about our work against cruelty and we'll fight harder in her name,'' Dan Mathews, a campaign director for the Washington, D.C.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Sunday.
''Linda understood the power of the fork and converted many people to vegetarianism both at home and on tour.''
A vegetarian long before it became fashionable, Linda McCartney lent her name to a range of frozen dishes and in 1991 published a cookbook. Andrew Davies, a spokesman for the environmental group Greenpeace said: ''Paul and Linda have been a valuable assistance to us,'' noting a recent letter they sent to President Bill Clinton regarding whale hunting, which has tripled since he took office. Born into a wealthy family, Linda Eastman grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y. Her father, Lee Eastman, was a lawyer; her mother died in a plane crash when she was 19.
After majoring in art history at the University of Arizona, she moved to New York City at the age of 21, becoming a receptionist at Town and Country magazine.
A lucky break enabled her to photograph the Rolling Stones, and she was asked to capture other rock stars on camera. Soon she was dating celebrities, including actor Warren Beatty and a manager of The Who, Chris Stamp. During a trip to London in May 1967 she met Paul at the launch of the Beatles' ''Sergeant Pepper'' album. They married in London two years later. Linda McCartney exhibited her photography in some 50 galleries worldwide, including London's prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum. When she joined her husband's new band, Wings, in 1972, as a keyboard player, she was ridiculed for her lack of musicality.
In 1972, the McCartneys were fined for possessing marijuana and in another incident, in 1984, they both admitted carrying the drug. Last year, she became Lady Linda when her husband was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Daughter Stella was appointed head designer at the Paris fashion house Chloe last year and recently narrated a video exposing conditions at fur farms.
Speaking about his wife's fight against cancer in an earlier interview, Paul McCartney called her ''the most positive person on earth.''
Click Here For The "Maybe I'm Amazed" Midi
Maybe I'm Amazed
By: Paul McCartney
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
And hung me on a line
Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you
Maybe I'm a man and maybe I'm a lonely man
Who's in the middle of something
That he doesn't really understand
Maybe I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman
Who could ever help me
Baby won't you help me understand
Maybe I'm a man and maybe I'm a lonely man
Who's in the middle of something
That he doesn't really understand
Maybe I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman
Who could ever help me
Baby won't you help me understand
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time
Maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song
You right me when I'm wrong
Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you
Maybe I'm a man and maybe I'm a lonely man
Who's in the middle of something
That he doesn't really understand
Maybe I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman
Who could ever help me
Baby won't you help me understand
