Woman Who Inspired 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' Dead at 46

Lucy Vodden, the 1967 child classmate of Julian Lennon credited for inspiring the Beatles' smash hit 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' died today after a long battle with Lupus. She was 46.

British citizen Lucy Vodden, who was credited as the inspiration for Beatle John Lennon's smash hit song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, from the Beatles' landmark 1967 rock album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, passed away earlier today in London after a long battle with Lupus. She was 46. For decades many Beatles fans believed, and some still do today, that the inspiration for Beatle John Lennon's rock music masterpiece Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was merely Lennon's desire to play on the initials for LSD, an hallucinogenic drug that enjoyed widespread popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. Though the Beatles vehemently denied it, fans often pointed to the Beatles' perceived subliminal messages in the band's songs and album covers. Yet for Beatle John and son Julian, the real influence behind Lucy was much simpler and totally innocent of advocating drug abuse. According to both Lennons, at the time the Beatles were producing Sgt. Pepper in 1967, four-year-old Julian returned home from school with a drawing he made, showed it to his father John, said it was of his classmate Lucy (then named O'Donnell), and called it "Lucy in the sky with diamonds." According to the story, John Lennon seized on the title and imagery right away and began composing the song of the same title for incorporation into Sgt. Pepper. The rest is music history. In recent years, Julian was well aware of Ms. Vodden's battle with Lupus and often texted her messages of support. Knowing Ms. Vodden's love of gardening, Julian also sent Lucy flowers and vouchers for use at a local gardening store. This past June, Julian recalled his interaction with Lucy as she struggled with the debilitating disease:

"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."

As evidence of the song's wild popularity even today, the video version of Lucy, taken from the Beatles 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine, is currently at 5,029,850 hits on YouTube. Sir Elton John's 1974 cover of Lucy was also a smash hit worldwide. The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album is widely considered by many modern music experts and critics as the most influential and transformative recording in rock music history. UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal has a posted a copy of Julian Lennon's original drawing of Lucy.