May Pang was John Lennon’s partner during the so-called “Lost Weekend” — the 18 months from 1973 to 1975 when Lennon separated from Yoko Ono and lived in Los Angeles and New York. She was also his personal assistant, the person who helped him reconnect with his son Julian, and later the author and producer who told the story of that period in her own words.
From New York to the Beatles’ Inner Circle
May Fung Yee Pang was born on October 24, 1950, in New York City, to Chinese immigrant parents. She grew up in New York and began working in the music business, first at ABKCO Records, the company run by the Beatles’ manager Allen Klein, and later as a personal assistant to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Pang worked closely with Lennon and Ono in New York, handling personal and professional tasks. In 1973, as Lennon and Ono’s relationship became strained, Ono suggested — according to Pang — that Pang should begin a relationship with Lennon. Pang and Lennon became partners and moved to Los Angeles.
The “Lost Weekend”
The period from 1973 to 1975 became known as Lennon’s “Lost Weekend,” a phrase Lennon himself used, though Pang has argued that it was in fact a productive and relatively happy time. Lennon recorded albums including Mind Games (1973) and Walls and Bridges (1974), collaborated with Elton John, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr, and was more socially active than he had been in his more reclusive years with Ono.
Pang was present for much of this work, and she has described the period as one in which Lennon was relaxed, funny, and creatively engaged — a contrast to the image of a lost, drunken year often presented in Beatles histories.
Reconnecting Lennon and Julian
One of Pang’s most significant roles was helping Lennon reconnect with his first son, Julian Lennon, from his marriage to Cynthia Lennon. Lennon had seen little of Julian in the early 1970s, but during the Pang period he spent time with his son, took him to Disneyland, and bought him a guitar. Julian has credited Pang with encouraging the renewed relationship.
Pang also helped Lennon reconnect with other family members and friends, and she was present at recording sessions and social events that later became part of Beatles lore.
After Lennon
In 1975 Lennon returned to Yoko Ono, and his relationship with Pang ended. Lennon and Ono’s son Sean was born later that year, and Lennon withdrew from public life until his death in 1980.
Pang later married producer Tony Visconti in 1989; they divorced in 2000 and had two children. She worked in public relations and jewellery, and became a photographer, exhibiting photographs from her time with Lennon and from her later career.
She wrote about Lennon in the books Loving John (1983) and Instamatic Karma (2008), and she produced and appeared in the documentary The Lost Weekend: A Love Story (2022), which tells the story from her perspective.
What Is Not Established About Her Finances
No verified personal net-worth figure for May Pang is reported here. Estimates published by celebrity-finance websites are not audited and vary, and book and film royalties are not the same as personal assets. This article reports her documented roles — as Lennon’s assistant, partner, and later author and producer — rather than a fortune figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was May Pang? John Lennon’s partner from 1973 to 1975, during his so-called Lost Weekend, and previously his personal assistant.
How did May Pang meet John Lennon? Through her work in the music business, including at ABKCO Records, where she became an assistant to Lennon and Yoko Ono.
What was the “Lost Weekend”? Lennon’s 18-month separation from Yoko Ono, from 1973 to 1975, during which he lived with Pang in Los Angeles and New York.
Did May Pang help Lennon reconnect with Julian? Yes. She encouraged and facilitated Lennon’s renewed contact with his first son, Julian Lennon.
What did May Pang do after Lennon? She worked in public relations and jewellery, became a photographer, and wrote Loving John and Instamatic Karma, and produced The Lost Weekend: A Love Story (2022).
