Linda Louise, Lady McCartney (née Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author and activist.

[7] Her father practiced entertainment law in New York and counted among his famous clients Harold Arlen, Tommy Dorsey, Willem de Kooning, Jack Lawrence, and Mark Rothko.

[9] After graduating from Vermont College, she attended the University of Arizona and majored in fine arts[10] while taking up nature photography as a hobby.

[16] When the magazine received an invitation to photograph the Rolling Stones during a record promotion party on a yacht, Eastman immediately volunteered to represent the publication.

"[9] But she had studied the photography of horses at college in Arizona under Hazel Larsen Archer and became an avid nature hobbyist, using a Leica camera.

[18] Eastman had gained some experience in celebrity photography and became an unofficial house photographer at Bill Graham's Fillmore East concert hall.

Among the artists she photographed there were Todd Rundgren, Aretha Franklin, Grace Slick, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, the Who, the Doors, the Animals, John Lennon, and Neil Young.

[20] After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul taught Linda to play keyboards and recorded an album with her, Ram, as a duo.

[22] In 1977 the reggae-inspired single "Seaside Woman" was released by an obscure band called Suzy and the Red Stripes on Epic Records in the United States.

[23] The song, recorded by Wings in 1972, was written in response to allegations from Paul's publisher that Linda's co-writing credits were inauthentic and that she was not a real songwriter.

In 1989, she released her first vegetarian cookbook, Linda McCartney's Home Cooking (she credits author Peter Cox "for all of his help and research" on the copyright page).

[15] According to Far Out Magazine, Linda McCartney Foods, "helped make it easier and more accessible for people to choose not to eat meat.

The settings, with saguaro cacti, reminded her of scenery from western films, which inspired her to take up photography as a hobby.

[9] On May 15, 1967, while on a photo assignment in London, Eastman met Paul McCartney at the Bag O'Nails club, where Georgie Fame was performing.

"[40]: 471  McCartney also liked her sense of independence: "Her mental attitude was quite rebellious ... [growing up] she was the kind of kid who would hang out in the kitchen with the black maids" to learn cooking.

[40]: 471  He knew that because of her "very free spirit", she was considered a rebel and a black sheep by her family for avoiding excelling in education, unlike her father and brother.

[43][44][45] British fans reacted negatively, partly because his marriage ended McCartney's status as the last unattached Beatle.

[46]: 51  John Lennon married Yoko Ono a week later, and both women were perceived by fans as reasons for the group's breakup.

[46]: 50  Lennon at one point publicly criticized the way the press treated Linda: "She got the same kind of insults, hatred, absolute garbage thrown at her for no reason whatsoever other than she fell in love with Paul McCartney.

"[46]: 52 In late 1969, Paul fell into a deep depression due to the Beatles' pending breakup after John Lennon's departure.

[48] McCartney later said that Linda helped him pull out of that crisis by praising his work as a songwriter and persuading him to continue writing and recording.

"[48][49][attribution needed]His marriage to Linda, viewed as such a disastrous misstep at the time, became by far the happiest and most durable in pop.

Despite the immensity of his fame and wealth, the couple managed to lead a relatively normal domestic life and prevent their children from becoming the usual pampered, neglected, screwed-up rock-biz brats.

If the public never quite warmed to Linda, thanks mainly to her militant vegetarianism and animal-rights activism, she was acknowledged to have been the right one for him, just as Yoko had been for John.

[40]: 470  They both liked and needed time away from the city, and were equally attracted to natural surroundings, writes biographer Barry Miles.

[62] Paul later suggested that fans remember her by donating to breast cancer research charities that did not support animal testing, "or the best tribute: go veggie".

A memorial service was held at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, which was attended by George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Billy Joel, Elton John, David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, and other celebrities among a congregation of 700.

[72][73] In April 1999, Paul McCartney performed at the "Concert for Linda" tribute at the Royal Albert Hall, organized by two of their friends, Chrissie Hynde and Carla Lane.

[74] Among the artists who performed, besides Paul, were George Michael, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, and Neil Finn.

[76] On 19 July 1999, just a few yards from Calderstones House in Liverpool, Paul officially opened the Linda McCartney Children's Play Area in Calderstones Park, unveiling a plaque at the entrance and planting a Cypress Oak tree (Quercus fastigiata) nearby overlooking the play area.