THE DAY JOHN LENNON SIGNED THE DISSOLUTION OF THE BEATLES

Legal disputes continued long after the breakup, and the dissolution of the partnership did not take effect until 1974.

The meeting was scheduled for December 19 at New York’s Plaza Hotel – ironically, this was the first place the group stayed in America in 1964.

George Harrison was in New York on his Dark Horse tour. Paul and Linda McCartney came in, and of course John and I were already in the city. Only Ringo was missing, but he had signed the documents in England.

On December 19, 1974, John Lennon missed a pivotal meeting in New York City with Paul McCartney and George Harrison. The gathering was intended to finalize the dissolution of The Beatles’ legal partnership, a move necessary to release and distribute millions in royalties that had been frozen since early 1971.

Gathered around a huge table were George, his lawyer and business manager; the McCartneys, with Paul’s in-laws and lawyers; Ringo’s lawyer and business manager; Neil Aspinall, of Apple, with two sets of company lawyers (one for America and one for Britain); and John’s lawyer Harold Seider and his team.

John eventually signed the papers ten days later while vacationing in Florida with his son, Julian, and his partner, May Pang. The group had been staying at music executive Morris Levy’s apartment within the Sun and Surf complex on Sunrise Avenue in West Palm Beach.

After an initial visit to Walt Disney World on December 27, they returned to the park two days later. It was there, while staying at the Polynesian Village Resort, that Lennon finally put pen to paper, officially ending the band’s legal entity.