Heather McCartney
Encyclopedia
Heather Louise McCartney (née See; born December 31, 1962) was born in Tucson, Arizona
to Linda McCartney (née Eastman)
and Joseph Melville See Jr., an American geologist. She is the adopted daughter of Paul McCartney
.
and expected his wife and daughter to follow. Linda See
refused, and sent a letter to her husband stating that she wanted a divorce. After raising her daughter on her own in New York City
for several years, Linda married Paul McCartney
, of The Beatles, in 1969, when Heather was six years old. Also in 1969, Heather was formally adopted by Paul McCartney through legal process (and with prior consent from See, her biological father) and took the McCartney name. Also in 1969, McCartney appeared in the last Beatles movie, Let It Be
. She has stated that, although See had a lifelong influence on her, she considers Paul McCartney to be her father.
A sister, Mary
, was born in 1969, followed by another sister, Stella
, in 1971 and a brother, James
, in 1977. Heather's former stepmother Heather Mills is five years younger than she. She has a much younger half-sister, Beatrice Milly McCartney, born to Paul McCartney and Heather Mills on October 28, 2003. She has six nephews and two nieces: Mary's four sons Arthur Alistair Donald (born 3 April 1999), Elliot Donald (born 1 August 2002), Sam Aboud (born 11 August 2008) and Sid (born Sept 2011) and Stella's two sons Miller Alasdhair James Willis (born 25 February 2005) and Beckett Robert Lee Willis (born January 8, 2008), and her two daughters Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis (born 8 December 2006) and Reiley Willis (born 23 November 2010).
Beginning shortly after the birth of Stella in 1971, McCartney and her siblings accompanied their famous parents around the world with their successful rock group Wings
. This continued until 1980 when the band stopped touring. She has said that, as a child, she had trouble forming friendships with other children and had difficulty fitting in; she has also said she did not do well in school.
With encouragement from her mother, she took up printing at the Photographers' Workshop in Covent Garden
, and was talented enough to win the Young Black and White Printer of the Year Award in Ilford
for a photo she called "Waterfall." Her success encouraged her to go on to art college, where she discovered a talent for pottery
and design.
During the early 1980s, Heather McCartney dated musician Billy Idol
.
In her twenties, Heather McCartney was hospitalized in a clinic for treatment of an emotional disorder. A few years after her release, she traveled to Mexico
with very little money and spent several months living among natives of the Huichol and Tarahumara
tribes. She felt liberated by this experience.
Later, McCartney moved to Arizona
to live with See, where she became even more interested in ceramics
. She later returned to England
to work as a potter. Her pottery is now famous and critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom
.
In 1995, breast cancer
was diagnosed in McCartney's mother, Linda, who died on April 17, 1998, in Tucson, Arizona
.
McCartney remains a prominent potter and designer, with exhibitions in New York City, Phoenix
, Tokyo
, Paris
, and Sydney
, and has been described by Wedgewood as "one of Britain's most exciting new talents." In 1999, in Atlanta
, Georgia
, and accompanied by her adoptive father, McCartney unveiled a line of houseware products, the Heather McCartney Houseware Collection.
In line with the beliefs of her parents, and siblings, Heather has interests in ecology
, animal rights
, and native peoples.
Heather McCartney lives on Paul McCartney's estate in Sussex
, England, where she maintains a low profile and continues to work as a potter.
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to Linda McCartney (née Eastman)
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
and Joseph Melville See Jr., an American geologist. She is the adopted daughter of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
.
Biography
McCartney's parents divorced after 18 months of marriage, because See had left for AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and expected his wife and daughter to follow. Linda See
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
refused, and sent a letter to her husband stating that she wanted a divorce. After raising her daughter on her own in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for several years, Linda married Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, of The Beatles, in 1969, when Heather was six years old. Also in 1969, Heather was formally adopted by Paul McCartney through legal process (and with prior consent from See, her biological father) and took the McCartney name. Also in 1969, McCartney appeared in the last Beatles movie, Let It Be
Let It Be (film)
Let It Be is a 1970 documentary film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. The film features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public...
. She has stated that, although See had a lifelong influence on her, she considers Paul McCartney to be her father.
A sister, Mary
Mary McCartney
Mary Anna McCartney is a photographer. The first biological child of rock photographer Linda Eastman McCartney and Paul McCartney of The Beatles, Mary was named after her paternal grandmother, Mary McCartney....
, was born in 1969, followed by another sister, Stella
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...
, in 1971 and a brother, James
James McCartney
James Louis McCartney is a British musician and songwriter living in London. He is the only son of songwriter and former Beatle Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney...
, in 1977. Heather's former stepmother Heather Mills is five years younger than she. She has a much younger half-sister, Beatrice Milly McCartney, born to Paul McCartney and Heather Mills on October 28, 2003. She has six nephews and two nieces: Mary's four sons Arthur Alistair Donald (born 3 April 1999), Elliot Donald (born 1 August 2002), Sam Aboud (born 11 August 2008) and Sid (born Sept 2011) and Stella's two sons Miller Alasdhair James Willis (born 25 February 2005) and Beckett Robert Lee Willis (born January 8, 2008), and her two daughters Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis (born 8 December 2006) and Reiley Willis (born 23 November 2010).
Beginning shortly after the birth of Stella in 1971, McCartney and her siblings accompanied their famous parents around the world with their successful rock group Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
. This continued until 1980 when the band stopped touring. She has said that, as a child, she had trouble forming friendships with other children and had difficulty fitting in; she has also said she did not do well in school.
With encouragement from her mother, she took up printing at the Photographers' Workshop in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, and was talented enough to win the Young Black and White Printer of the Year Award in Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
for a photo she called "Waterfall." Her success encouraged her to go on to art college, where she discovered a talent for pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and design.
During the early 1980s, Heather McCartney dated musician Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
.
In her twenties, Heather McCartney was hospitalized in a clinic for treatment of an emotional disorder. A few years after her release, she traveled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
with very little money and spent several months living among natives of the Huichol and Tarahumara
Tarahumara
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability...
tribes. She felt liberated by this experience.
Later, McCartney moved to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
to live with See, where she became even more interested in ceramics
Ceramics (art)
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
. She later returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to work as a potter. Her pottery is now famous and critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 1995, breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
was diagnosed in McCartney's mother, Linda, who died on April 17, 1998, in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
.
McCartney remains a prominent potter and designer, with exhibitions in New York City, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and has been described by Wedgewood as "one of Britain's most exciting new talents." In 1999, in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and accompanied by her adoptive father, McCartney unveiled a line of houseware products, the Heather McCartney Houseware Collection.
In line with the beliefs of her parents, and siblings, Heather has interests in ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
, and native peoples.
Heather McCartney lives on Paul McCartney's estate in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England, where she maintains a low profile and continues to work as a potter.