John Lennon might have been bulimic, reportedly “purged” after eating

This is just a weirdly fascinating story about the late, great John Lennon. It doesn’t surprise me that John Lennon’s life and music is still being discussed and analyzed – he was an icon, after all. It doesn’t surprise me that there are still books being written about him, or that people that knew him intimately are still “revealing” personal information about him. But what does surprise me is the new report claiming that Lennon had major issues with food. A new book – BackStage Pass VIP – has an interview with Lennon’s friend, Harry Nilsson, who claims that John was a bulimic! Good God.

A blockbuster new book has lifted the lid on the life of the late John Lennon, alleging the rock icon was bulimic, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

BackStage Pass VIP, reveals the human side of rock music legends, including Lennon, who died in December 1980, and describes the poignant struggles the musician had with eating disorders.

The book says Lennon was always hungry, loved to eat but “hated the feeling of being full” so he would often force himself to vomit after eating.

“Lennon was confused about his obsession with food,” said the book’s author, journalist, and pop culture historian, Debra Sharon Davis. “Lennon was surrounded by talented musicians, but many had drinking and drug problems – so it was hard for them to see Lennon’s purging behavior as extraordinary. One must also realize that at that time the public and the media were unaware of bulimia as an addiction and health risk – which made it all the more frightening for John Lennon. He literally had no point-of-reference on what he was experiencing.”

BackStage Pass VIP offers fascinating never-before-released interviews with Lennon’s close friend, the late singer/songwriter, Harry Nilsson, who shared his insights with the author in the 1980s.

“John and I were having a heart-to-heart. Then all of a sudden John went off about how powerful men had ravenous appetites and wanted to swallow the world whole,” recalled Nilsson. “And he thought that was why he had this horrible problem – being hungry all the time and overeating. He said he often fantasized about large quantities of ‘forbidden’ foods.’ He said food was ‘sacred’ to him and it frightened him. He saw it as ‘a great weakness’ and he referred to it as ‘a lack of discipline.’”

Davis goes on to explain Lennon’s eating disorder in greater detail. “Privately, John Lennon harbored food fetishes,” she explains. “For instance Lennon loved eating huge bowls of Rice Krispies with large scoops of ice cream on top. He enjoyed putting ice cream on everything when he could. There were also numerous bowls of snacks throughout his grand estate, Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot when he lived in England in the late 1960s and early 1970s.”

And she explains that the book aims to present the human side of celebrities to the general public.

“BackStage Pass VIP is meant to provoke dialogue and debate because it pulls back the often Oz-like theatrics of the entertainment industry to uncover the reality of celebrity lives within the context of the times and hopefully teach consumers to differentiate more clearly between a celebrity’s persona, talents and his/her true lifestyle,” Davis says. “It is meant to empower everyday people to feel better about themselves and their own achievements by realizing that even great, beloved talents like John Lennon were flawed heroes who wrestled with challenges.”

[From Radar]

The idea that rock stars – especially at that time – snack on all kinds of crappy food… well, that’s not groundbreaking. But I’d be interested in hearing or reading the explicit details of Lennon’s “purging” because from these excerpts, it sounds more like he was battling anorexia, right? He wanted to withhold food, he saw it as a “strength” to deny himself his appetite. Now, maybe he did fall into a cycle of gorging/binging and then purging. Poor John!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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20 Responses to “John Lennon might have been bulimic, reportedly “purged” after eating”

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  1. renee says:

    There were earlier reports of him having an eating disorder in the late 80s and 90s, it was purportedly after a reporter referred to him as the “fat” Beatle…

  2. CandyKay says:

    A lot of this information has appeared in previous books about Lennon. He was VERY skinny near the end of his life, nearly anorexic. Supposedly a reaction to being called ‘the fat Beatle’ during their heyday.

    • Eleonor says:

      Yea, I’ve read a John’s biography years ago, and it seems he was quite obsessed with the “fat beatle” thing, he was terrified by the idea of becoming fat like Elvis.

  3. Jillian says:

    He and Yoko both went on long fasts and followed a macrobiotic diet too.

  4. Ravensdaughter says:

    OMG, let the poor rest in peace.

    • He’s died 32 years ago. Let the poor man alone.

    • Carolyn says:

      It says something about our current obsession with looks and weight that the focus of an article about Lennon is about an eating disorder. Who cares? And yes, leave him in peace. I am suss about people who write books 30+ years after someone’s death with supposed “never revealed” details. I seriously doubt there are new pieces of info about Lennon which haven’t been said or written about before.

  5. hillbillygirl45 says:

    I adored John Lennon, too, but, why does this matter now?This doesn’t have a thing in the world to do with his death, for pitys sake.

  6. Belle says:

    I could be wrong but I think typically, the starving, exercising to excess and mega control over food portions are associated with Anorexia. The binge-purge thing, usually with Bulemia… though I’m sure it can vary some.

  7. kay says:

    kaiser, I know this is picky, but do you think you could edit the headline to read just “bulimic” and not “a bulimic”?

    It matters.

    thank you,

    kay

  8. Madpoe says:

    Wish they let the man rest in peace.
    Imagine a world where “new books” didn’t surface to milk the dead? I wonder if we can?

    • Esmom says:

      Imagine indeed.

      John was a genius and an amazing advocate for peace. He was also the very definition of “tortured artist.” I found every aspect of his life and his music fascinating but this is a bit much. Definitely time to let him RIP.

      • CandyKay says:

        I don’t see how writing an honest account of the life of an influential man – a man who actively sought and enjoyed fame – is in any way disrespectful. Harry Nilsson knew him well; this is no hanger-on peddling self-aggrandizing tales.

        It seems some people are more interested in preserving their own image of John Lennon than they are in understanding the John Lennon who actually lived.

      • Raven says:

        Not sure how much Nilsson is able to comment on anything. Both were completely loaded most of the time they spent together. Nilsson was a notorious drunk. There are contemporaneous accounts of their exploits including the famous maxipad incident.

  9. Silver says:

    John was always a bit concerned with his appearance in this regard. I’ve read accounts after they came to the states he got really worried about his weight gain [you can see it if you look at old photos, nothing abnormal though]. They went from a couple of poor kids to international stars and could get whatever they wanted, they never went for lack of. It seems plausible he could go down this path considering the other stories about John at the time.

  10. skuddles says:

    I hope you’re right about them denying him parole Asli. He deprived the world of a great artist – he never deserves to go free!

  11. boo says:

    He died in 1980, I remember exactly where I was when they announced his death. What a tragedy. I loved the Beatles, early and later, but especially John for his committment to peace and of course “Imagine”. RIP.

  12. Candyland says:

    Guess it matters cause other people suffer from bulemia and its good ta know that famous people do to cause then others might not feel like a freak and get help, right?

  13. Candyland says:

    I thout he was cuter when he was cuddly.

  14. Kendall says:

    I’ve heard something like this before. As for the is he anorexic/bulimic thing, there is such thing as anorexia with a binge/purge subtype, or he could’ve had EDNOS.