Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," has died after a long battle with lupus. Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas' Hospital in London. She was 46.
Vodden's connection to the Beatles dates to when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son. Julian, then 4, came home from school with a drawing one day, and told his father it was "Lucy in the sky with diamonds." The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.
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.
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