In the 2000s, James played backup percussion and guitar for some of his dad’s solo releases, like “Flaming Pie” and “Driving Rain.” He also played lead guitar for his mom on the track “The Light Comes from Within,” on the posthumously released album “Wide Prairie.”
When his mom died in 1998, James admits that his ‘perfect world’ was destroyed.
“When I was 17 I wrote my first song and then Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was 20 and that’s when I went into a very dark period,” he said. He continued, “I was studying art, photography and English at college. I had spent a lot of time at home with Mum and Dad. I got a bit of flak from the college because I wasn’t really present, but I never regretted spending that time with her.”
James found solace in drugs and alcohol, and distanced himself from the family. Adding to his struggles was his relationship his dad’s new wife, Heather Mills, whom Paul was married to from 2002 to 2008.

“My relationship with Heather was not very good. I didn’t like her. But I wouldn’t want to say anything negative about her because she’s a good mother to Beatrice and that’s the most important thing,” James said, speaking of his baby sister that Paul shares with Mills. “Beatrice is adorable. She’s great, a real joy for the whole family.”
In 2007, when his award-winning dad was hospitalized and had angioplasty surgery, James reconnected with his family. “Dad’s great now but that episode made me realize how important he is to me. He was suffering in his own way [because of his high-profile split from Mills]. He was under stress. In hindsight I wish I’d been more supportive,” James said.
In 2011, Paul married Nancy Shevell, to which James says, “Nancy’s my new mother. I feel that. Definitely. She’s very genuine.”
“I removed myself from my family for a while. Now I want to immerse myself in them,” James shared. “I love Dad so much. I’m in a happy place. I’m not high, which is a good thing. I just want to be the best person I can be.”
Slowly gaining traction as a reputable musician, James released his debut single “Available Light” (2010) and then, collaborated with his dad, who worked as co-producer, James delivered his first album, “Me” in 2013, followed by “The Blackberry Train” in 2016.

Though he lived a mostly private life, he told the BBC in 2012 that as a child, he aimed to be “better than the Beatles.”

“When I got to a certain age, I realized that I was somewhat better than other kids at school at guitar and took pride and enjoyment in that,” James said (as per the Daily Mail).
“I then dreamt of being better than The Beatles. I’m not sure if I can do that. If anything, I would love to be equal to The Beatles–but even that’s quite tough.”
He even revealed he was wanting to reanimate the Beatles with the progeny of the Fab Four, including John Lennon’s son, Sean, son of George, Dhani Harrison, and Ringo Starr’s two boys Zach and Jason Starkey.
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But quickly shutting down the media explosion over a Beatles incarnation, NBC reports that James clarified that it was just a thought. “Well, looks like quite some attention being given to my BBC interview! Honestly, I was just thinking out loud about playing with Beatles family friends, nothing more. My band’s going to be on tour in the UK and US for most of this year, and the shows are going great! I’m so grateful…. Lots of love to you all…!”
Recently, James appeared with his dad and big sisters at the private viewing of the “Paul McCartney 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The exhibition features extraordinary photographs taken by Sir Paul of The Beatles’ early days.

James, looking similar to his famous dad, was dapper in a black suit paired with a white shirt at the star-studded event.
Tossed into the spotlight where he’s vulnerable to criticism, fans shared their harsh opinions of James, who is a recovering addict.
“They look very much alike! I think this is what Paul would’ve looked like (in his heyday) if he was overweight and didn’t look after himself. His son needs to start looking after himself. It seems as though he over eats, probably an alcoholic. And doesn’t look like his hygiene is up to par.”
Many, reacted to the Daily Mail writing on Facebook that James is Handsome: “They have a different standard of what ‘handsome’ is….Yikes!” writes one user, while another said, “I don’t think I would say he was handsome got his dad’s eyes but that’s all.”
Some suggested that James aged poorly: “Sorry to say this but his son looks like his father and his father looks like his son.”
Falling into the minority of cyber citizens defending James, one follower writes, “Wow look at all the women body shaming the poor guy for his looks, if it was a woman they would be all up in arms if there was any negative comments, leave him alone ffs nothing wrong with him….probably gets more women than most men in here too lol.”
Have you heard any music released by James McCartney? Are you more likely to listen to his recordings because he is the son of a musical legend or are you the type of person who prefers independent artists?
My Husband and His Mom Got Rid of My Cat While I Was Away — but I Never Expected My Neighbor to Help Me Get Revenge

When I returned from a short trip, I discovered that my mother-in-law had decided to “free” me from my beloved cat, Benji. But thanks to my neighbor’s quick thinking and some dirt from the past, I not only got my cat back but also found the strength to free myself from a useless husband.
Benji wasn’t just a pet to me. He was my heart, my comfort, my family. I rescued him as a kitten when I was drowning in grief after losing my father. My husband, John, never understood. He called my bond with Benji “weird.”

A woman smiling and holding a white cat while a man stands in the background with crossed arms | Source: Midjourney
But I never imagined he and his mother, Carol, would take things this far.
The house felt wrong the moment I walked in after my weekend trip with my girlfriends. The usual patter of paws across hardwood floors was missing.
Some people believed cats weren’t as attached to their owners as dogs, but Benji could prove them all wrong. He always greeted me.

A white cat sitting on a shelf | Source: Pexels
But on this day, instead of his meows, I got silence. And even worse, I could detect the faint scent of my mother-in-law’s overpowering perfume lingering in the air.
I walked further into the house and saw John sprawled on the couch, distracted by his phone.
“Where’s Benji?” I wondered.
“No idea. Maybe he ran off,” he replied with a shrug.

A man sitting on a sofa holding a phone and looking up | Source: Midjourney
The casual tone in his voice set off my alarm bells. Benji never “ran off.” He was an indoor cat who got nervous just looking at the backyard through the window.
That’s when I noticed Carol sitting at the dining table with a smug smile playing on her thin lips as she sipped her coffee.
“Where is my cat?” I demanded, walking toward her.

A woman in a living room looks angry | Source: Midjourney
Carol set down the mug with deliberate slowness. “Well…” she began. “I used your time away to do what was necessary. Finally, you’re free from that animal.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were way too obsessed with that disgusting fur ball to focus on what really matters. It’s time to start a family,” she continued. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

An older woman with an impassive face sitting at a dining table | Source: Midjourney
Fire. Pure, hot, and raging fire coursed through my blood as I walked closer to the dining table. My hands clutched the back of a chair carefully, with all the restraint I could muster.
“What did you do with him?” I asked slowly.
“Now, Frances, don’t get dramatic,” Carol sighed, waving a dismissive hand. “You’re 32, for heaven’s sake. Time to grow up. No more time or money spent on pet food, toys, or whatever.”

A kitten looking at a toy | Source: Pexels
I turned to John, who hadn’t moved from his position on the couch. “You let this happen and you LIED to me?!”
He shrugged again, still not looking up. “I think my mother’s right. It’s time to move on.”
“Move on from what?” My voice cracked. “Having something in my life that actually brings me joy? Unlike this marriage?”
That got his attention. John finally looked up, his face flushing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

A man sitting on a couch with his mouth open looking offended | Source: Midjourney
“It means you’ve never supported anything that matters to me. Not once. You and your mother just decide what’s best for my life without ever asking what I want.”
Carol stood up, her chair scraping against the hardwood floor. “We decide what’s best because you clearly can’t make good decisions for yourself. Look at you now, throwing a tantrum over a cat when you should be focusing on starting a family.”

An older woman standing next to a table gesturing with her hands | Source: Midjourney
“You mean a family like this one?” I laughed, the sound harsh and foreign to my ears. “Where my husband can’t make a single decision without consulting his mommy first? And he decides to lie to me just to please you?”
At that moment, I wanted to tell her that my husband lied to her, too, about many things. But I held my tongue. I needed to recover Benji first.
“Now you’re just being hysterical,” Carol crossed her arms. “This is exactly why we had to take matters into our own hands.”
“Tell me where he is.” I stepped closer to Carol. “Now.”

A woman looking angry and mouthing something in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“Or what?” Carol smiled, but I caught the slight uncertainty in her eyes. “What are you going to do about it?”
Before I could answer, movement from the window caught my eye. My neighbor Lisa was in my yard, waving urgently. When I met her gaze, she pointed toward her house and mouthed something.
Somehow, only I noticed her.
“I’ll be right back,” I managed to say to Carol through clenched teeth, then added, “And when I return, I want to know exactly what you did with my cat.”
Stepping outside, I felt the cool spring air against my flushed face. Lisa hurried over, and we crossed the street to stand on her lawn. It was then that I noticed the phone in her hand.

Two women talking on the front lawn of a house | Source: Midjourney
“I saw your mother-in-law with Benji yesterday,” she said, breathless. “You might want to see this.”
She held out her phone, open to Facebook, and my blood ran cold at the post. There was Benji, his distinctive white fur and bright green collar unmistakable, cradled in the arms of Samantha.
That woman made my life hell in high school, but ironically, she reinvented herself years later as a lifestyle and fitness influencer who spread positivity. Unfortunately, thousands of people fell for her act, and she now lived fully off social media.

A woman recording herself while wearing sporty clothes and using a floor exercise mat | Source: Pexels
But this particular post was the only thing that mattered to me. The caption read: “Meet the newest addition to the family! Sometimes the perfect pet just falls into your lap. #blessed #newcatmom”
“That’s not all,” Lisa said, swiping to a video. “I was watering my plants yesterday morning when I saw your mother-in-law carrying Benji’s carrier to her car. Something felt off, so I just got in my truck and followed her. I decided to record just in case.”

An older woman hurrying along, carrying a cat in a basket | Source: Midjourney
The video, which was obviously shot from the inside of Lisa’s truck, showed Carol’s sedan pulling up to a modern townhouse.
Carol emerged with Benji’s carrier, walked up to the front door, and handed my pet over to Samantha. My mother-in-law had a big smile on her face as she got back into her sedan and drove off.
The video ended there.
“I’m so sorry, Frances,” Lisa said. “I should have tried to stop her.”
“No,” I said, squeezing her arm. “You did exactly the right thing. This is perfect.”

Two women talking on the front lawn of a house, one holding a phone, both looking worried | Source: Midjourney
“Want me to come with you to confront her?”
I shook my head. “No, just send me the video. I need to do this alone. But thank you. For everything.”
I crossed the street and went back inside. Carol had moved next to John on the couch, and they were in a deep, quiet conversation.
They looked up when I entered, and I felt the urge to do something unpleasant to my mother-in-law. This feeling only intensified when she began speaking.

A man and his mother sitting on a couch looking up with upset expressions | Source: Midjourney
“If you’re done with your little drama,” she said.
“Samantha?” I cut her off. “Really? That’s who you gave my cat to?”
Carol’s eyes widened slightly before she caught herself. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Save it. I have a video of you stealing my cat and giving it to her. What was the plan here? You just happened to choose my high school bully to give Benji to? Was that supposed to be some kind of twisted punishment?”

A girl in a classroom being pointed at by other classmates | Source: Pexels
John stood up. “Frances, calm down. Mom was just trying to help.”
“Help who?” I asked. “Help her maintain control over our marriage? Help Samantha get more social media followers with a cute new pet?”
“This is ridiculous,” Carol snapped. “John, tell her she’s being ridiculous.”
But I was already grabbing my car keys. “I’m going to get my cat. When I get back, I want you both gone.”
***
Samantha’s townhouse sat in an upscale development across town. Each knock on her door felt like a hammer to my racing heart.

Several townhouses | Source: Pexels
Two minutes later, the door swung open. My bully stood there in yoga pants and a crop top, and her surprised expression quickly morphed into a sneer.
“Well, if it isn’t ‘Frances, no Chances,’” she said, blocking the doorway. “You never had friends or boyfriends. Isn’t that why you had to marry that boring accountant?”
She wasn’t entirely wrong. I had been a loner for most of my life. My family was my only haven, which is why I took the death of my father so horribly. My mom and sister were still there, but it was Benji who ultimately saved me.

A woman looking sad and distraught in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney
John had been my first everything.
Now I could understand the importance of dating, learning from mistakes, and experiencing different relationships.
If I had any experience, I probably wouldn’t have chosen him or taken all his mistakes and troubles in stride, thinking I was being a good wife.
“Where’s my cat?” I asked, ignoring her jabs and focusing on what mattered.
“You mean my new cat?” Samantha’s eyebrows rose. “He was a gift. Totally legal. No backsies.”

A woman in black exercise clothes smirking outside her townhouse door | Source: Midjourney
“A gift from someone who had no right to give him away. That’s theft.”
She laughed. “Please. Who’s going to believe you? It’s just a cat. Besides, he’s much better off here. Have you seen how many followers I have? People love me. He’ll be famous.”
“The police might be interested in this video of Carol stealing and giving away my property, especially because Benji is registered to me in his microchip.”

A woman standing on a lawn looking angry | Source: Midjourney
Samantha’s smile faltered slightly. “Please, you won’t call the police.”
“Oh, I’ll do more than just call the police,” I said, pulling out my phone. “Remember high school, Samantha? Remember how you made my life miserable? You laughed at me every day for just wanting to be left alone. And what about my homecoming dress? The one you and your bully friends ripped to shreds?”

A group of friends dressed for a school dance | Source: Unsplash
I pulled up an old photo I’d kept all these years. “I have proof of what you did with that dress. And guess what? I can make a video. A very detailed video. About all of it. And post it to every platform. I’m sure it’ll go viral. After all, so many people love you.”
The color drained from Samantha’s face. Her carefully crafted influencer image trembled before my eyes.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her bravado crumbling. “Please don’t. Just… take the cat.”
She disappeared inside and returned with Benji, who looked relieved to see me. “Please, just don’t post anything.”

A woman in exercise clothes outside a townhouse, holding a white cat | Source: Midjourney
I gathered Benji into my arms, feeling his purr. It gave me comfort, but also, the strength to get in my car and go home.
John and Carol were still there when I walked in with my cat secure in my arms.
Carol jumped up from the table. “How dare you—” she started.
“No,” I cut her off. “How dare you. Both of you. I thought I told you to get out of my house.”
“Frances, you’re being ridiculous,” John said.

A man sitting on a couch, looking up worriedly | Source: Midjourney
“I want a divorce.”
Carol gasped. “You ungrateful—”
“I have video evidence of you stealing my cat,” I said, meeting her eyes. “Leave now, or I’m calling the police.”
“You can’t do that!” Carol insisted. “And this is my son’s house, too!”
“It’s not,” I replied and stared at my husband. “Didn’t he tell you? He might be an accountant, but he has terrible credit. I had to sign the loan for this house on my own. It’s just my name on the deed.”

A woman holding keys to a house | Source: Unsplash
“What?” Carol turned to her son with wide eyes.
“I would also advise on not helping him so much,” I continued. “He actually spends all you give him playing poker with his buddies.”
“Frances!” John shouted, outraged, finally getting up from the couch.
“Leave now, or I might tell your mom that it’s not just poker,” I added. “There’s a little club next to the airport…”

The entrance to a nightclub | Source: Unsplash
“Stop!” he urged, one hand up. “We’re leaving.”
John pulled his mother out, while she bickered the entire time.
At last, the door clicked shut behind them, and the house fell quiet again.
The scent of Carol’s perfume would soon drift away forever, and the evidence of John’s uselessness as a husband would soon be gone, too.
Only Benji’s heavenly smell would remain, along with the promise of a better future.
“With that thought,” I muttered, pulling out my phone and calling my lawyer. After that, I was buying Lisa something special.

A woman standing in a living room, holding a cat and a phone, smiling | Source: Midjourney
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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