His stepsister Heather, 60, also embraced a mostly low-profile life as an American-British potter, while big sisters Stella (51) and Mary (53) eagerly followed the path paved by their father to fame.
Spending the first almost three years of his life touring with Sir Paul and Lady Linda in their group Wings, James was heavily influenced by the pop-rock culture introduced to him by his musical parents.
“It’s hard to live up to The Beatles. When Wings toured they got slated. Even Dad found it hard living up to The Beatles,” James told the Daily Mail. “I had to serve my time as a musician and wait until I had a good body of songs and for a time when both myself and my music were ready. I don’t want to sit around. I want to earn my own living.”
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“When I was 17 I wrote my first song and then Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was 20 and that’s when I went into a very dark period,” he said. He continued, “I was studying art, photography and English at college. I had spent a lot of time at home with Mum and Dad. I got a bit of flak from the college because I wasn’t really present, but I never regretted spending that time with her.”
James found solace in drugs and alcohol, and distanced himself from the family. Adding to his struggles was his relationship his dad’s new wife, Heather Mills, whom Paul was married to from 2002 to 2008.