Lucy Vodden, who inspired the Beatles' classic song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46. Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas' Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years.
Vodden's connection to the Beatles dates back to her youth, when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son. Julian, then 4, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
At the time, John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," a landmark album released to worldwide acclaim in 1967.
The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, replete with haunting images of "newspaper taxis" and a "girl with kaleidoscope eyes."
Rock music critics thought the song's title was a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always claimed the phrase came from his son, not from a desire to spell out the initials LSD in code.
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Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents' divorce, but they were reunited in recent years when Julian Lennon, who lives in France, tried to help her cope with the disease.
He sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.
"I wasn't sure at first how to approach her," Julian Lennon told the Associated Press in June. "I wanted at least to get a note to her. Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I'd help with something she's passionate about, and I love gardening too. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face."
In recent months, Vodden was too ill to go out most of the time, except for hospital visits.
She enjoyed her link to the Beatles, but was not particularly fond of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
"I don't relate to the song, to that type of song," she told the Associated Press in June. "As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, 'No, it's not you, my parents said it's about drugs.' And I didn't know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself."
Vodden is the latest in a long line of people connected to the Beatles who died at a relatively young age.
The list includes John Lennon, gunned down at age 40, manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose when he was 32, and original band member Stuart Sutcliffe, who died of a brain hemorrhage at 21.
A spokeswoman for Julian Lennon and his mother, Cynthia Lennon, said they were "shocked and saddened" by Vodden's death.
Angie Davidson, a lupus sufferer who is campaign director of the St. Thomas' Lupus Trust, said Vodden was "a real fighter" who had worked behind the scenes to support efforts to combat the disease.
"It's so sad that she has finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long," said Davidson.
My girl friends Lupus is totally in remission after 14 years thanks to Low Dose Naltrexone. Google it! LDNinfo.org Big phrama cant make any money on this out of patent drug. It cost under a buck a day. I wish she knew of it. She most likely would still be alive today.It works on all autoimmune diseases plus cancer.
Lupus is not a disease that you catch like a cold, but something that you are born with. Drugs have nothing to do with it, nor sex, or any other physical habits. If you don't believe me, look it up, I am a lupus patient and I HAVE NOT cheated on my spouse, or taken any illegal drugs.
October is also lupus month, but breast cancer is the dominate condition. Maybe if famous people like John Lennon's family continue to support lupus, we might a lot more recognition. And...my spouse has not left me, he and myself are still battling this problem together...
I really can relate to Lucy, I to have Lupus for the last 33 years. It is a bi*ch to have this disease. And very expensive medically. I am one of the "lucky" ones to have survived this long with what I had to put up medically these many years. It has come to the point of dialysis as the Lupus attacked my kidneys. God bless her, and please, if you have a chance to support SLE research, please be as generous as you can. It is more prevelent then you think.
I had thought the song was in reference to LSD... I know of 3 people who had lupus and who bought this water processor and the disease is gone. They are from Port Huron, MI. The machine has been in Japan 30 years, and has just become available in the US recently. Among other things, it splits water into acidic and alkaline water... you then drink the alkaline water and it does AMAZING THINGS!
there is no need to die of lupus. dr berkson sees good results with low dose naltrexone for lupus.it helps with all auto-immune diseases .more then likely your doctor will not offer you ldn.look yourself for info
Lucy Vodden, who inspired the Beatles' classic song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46. Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas' Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years. 
Comments
(17)Add a comment
Monday 28 September
By Steve
One of the greates songs ever written. Lucy's forever a piece of history!
Reply
Monday 28 September
By C. Williams
Well.....if that isn't a roach caught in the clips. She's "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes"!!
Reply
Monday 28 September
By rose martin
Poor Lucy. I wonder if she ever received any royalties. I bet she didn't even get a diamond.
Reply
Monday 28 September
By Phlogiston
Not even Lovely Rita, Meter Maid, got a penny of royalties, or even Billy Shears.
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By Bob
What about Penny Lane? Did she get a freakin dime? NO!
Monday 28 September
By tom
Hope he paid some her med bills.
Reply
Monday 28 September
By kzharpo1
I hope that you paid your internet service, didn't you?
Monday 28 September
By msgraftongirl
They didn't mention George Harrison as dying at a young age. I don't think he was old when he passed away.
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By ShakSistah
George Harrison died of lung cancer at the age of 58. Great songwriter.
Tuesday 29 September
By matt
My girl friends Lupus is totally in remission after 14 years thanks to Low Dose Naltrexone. Google it! LDNinfo.org Big phrama cant make any money on this out of patent drug. It cost under a buck a day. I wish she knew of it. She most likely would still be alive today.It works on all autoimmune diseases plus cancer.
Reply
Monday 28 September
By Kzharpo
Lupus is not a disease that you catch like a cold, but something that you are born with. Drugs have nothing to do with it, nor sex, or any other physical habits. If you don't believe me, look it up, I am a lupus patient and I HAVE NOT cheated on my spouse, or taken any illegal drugs.
October is also lupus month, but breast cancer is the dominate condition. Maybe if famous people like John Lennon's family continue to support lupus, we might a lot more recognition. And...my spouse has not left me, he and myself are still battling this problem together...
Reply
Monday 28 September
By Sandy
I really can relate to Lucy, I to have Lupus for the last 33 years. It is a bi*ch to have this disease. And very expensive medically. I am one of the "lucky" ones to have survived this long with what I had to put up medically these many years. It has come to the point of dialysis as the Lupus attacked my kidneys. God bless her, and please, if you have a chance to support SLE research, please be as generous as you can. It is more prevelent then you think.
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By deanandkimmie
I had thought the song was in reference to LSD...
I know of 3 people who had lupus and who bought this water processor and the disease is gone. They are from Port Huron, MI. The machine has been in Japan 30 years, and has just become available in the US recently. Among other things, it splits water into acidic and alkaline water... you then drink the alkaline water and it does AMAZING THINGS!
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By sylvia
My mom too has had lupus for the past several years, it is horrible disease, that definitely makes me at risk for auto immune diseases..
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By Typical Engadget Tech-Nerd
Just looking at the video makes me want to drop some acid or at least take a few hits from a giant spliff. Yeah, Lucy wants me to get high in the sky.
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By Phlogiston
Desmond and Molly; Mean Mr Mustard; Polythene Pam... none of them got paid.
On a serious note, the NY Times had an article recently about a woman, 31, who died from Lupus after her medical insurance was cancelled.
Reply
Tuesday 29 September
By zahavi
there is no need to die of lupus.
dr berkson sees good results with low dose naltrexone for lupus.it helps with all auto-immune diseases .more then likely your doctor will not offer you ldn.look yourself for info
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/
Reply