John Lennon's first wife Cynthia loses battle to cancer

John Lennon's first wife Cynthia Lennon has passed away following a "short but brave battle with cancer."

The family announced that she died in her home in Spain, and a message on her son, Julian Lennon's website read that he was "at her bedside throughout. The family are thankful for your prayers," the BBC reported.

Lennon, who was born Cynthia Lillian Powell in Blackpool on 10 September 1939, had met The Beatles' star at art college and witnessed the band's rise to global fame.

When they had met, the singer had simply tapped her on the back in class and simply said "Hi, I'm John."

The two got married before just before Lennon turned one of the most famous men in the world, but her existence was kept in the background when the group was at their peak.

The couple had divorced in 1968 after she found out that Lennon had been cheating on her with Japanese artist Yoko Ono, who went to become his second wife.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney said that she was a lovely lady whom he got to know since their days together in Liverpool. He added that she was a good mother and will be deeply missed.

Hunter Davies, who wrote the only official biography of The Beatles in 1968, had described Cynthia as "a lovely woman," who wasn't a hippie at all, and was very refined and reserved person, whom Lennon had treated appallingly.

After divorcing Lennon, she had married three more times, in 1970 a Italian hotelier Roberto Bassanini, an engineer John Twist from Lancashire6 years later, and finally a former nightclub owner Noel Charles in 2002, who died in 2013.