LONDON – They were childhood chums. Then they drifted apart, lost touch completely, and only renewed their friendship decades later, when illness struck.
Not so unusual, really.
Except she is Lucy Vodden – the girl who was the inspiration for the Beatles' 1967 psychedelic classic "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" – and he is Julian Lennon, the musician son of John Lennon.
They are linked together by something that happened more than 40 years ago when Julian brought home a drawing from school and told his father, "That's Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
Just the sort of cute phrase lots of 3- or 4-year-olds produce – but not many have a father like John Lennon, who used it as a springboard for a legendary song that became a centrepiece on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
"Julian got in touch with me out of the blue when he heard how ill I was and he said he wanted to do something for me," said the 46-year-old Vodden, who has lupus, a chronic disease where the immune system attacks the body's own tissue.
Lennon, who lives in France, sent his old friend flowers and vouchers to buy plants at a local gardening centre, since working in her garden is one of the few activities she is still occasionally well enough to enjoy. More importantly, he has offered her friendship and a connection to more carefree days.
"I wasn't sure at first how to approach her. I wanted at least to get a note to her," Julian Lennon said. "Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I'd help with something she's passionate about ... I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face."
Vodden admits she enjoys her association with the song, but doesn't particularly care for it. It was thought by many at the time that the classic was a paean to LSD because of the initials in the title.
"I don't relate to the song," said Vodden, described as "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in the lyrics.
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