‘The Beatles were all popular with the ladies’: Retired dentist who wanted to clone John Lennon is now on the hunt for his love child

In 2011, Alberta, Canada-based dentist Michael Zuk bought John Lennon’s tooth at an auction for £19,500 (about $24,800 in today’s money). The Beatle gave the molar to his housekeeper, Dot Jartlett, to dispose of sometime in the ‘60s, but it remained with Jartlett’s family until she decided to sell it.

According to Zuk, he needed to have Lennon’s tooth once he heard that it was going up for auction. He wanted the legend’s tooth to be displayed in his office, as well as take it on tours to dental schools. “Some people will think it’s gross, others will be fascinated by it,” Zuk told the BBC back then.

A few years later, however, Zuk became the subject of headlines after he revealed his desire to clone Lennon with the DNA extracted from the molar. In an interview, he told Newsweek he was “milking the tooth for all that it’s worth.”

“You’d take the DNA, you’d insert it into a cell, then you’d stimulate the cell to reproduce, then you’d insert it into a woman’s uterus to be the host. So it’s kind of almost like artificial insemination.”

Nothing came of Zuk’s plans and now, he’s clearing the air about his cloning project. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the now-retired dentist said he wasn’t serious when he said he wanted to clone Lennon, but it was an interesting idea to him. “I did get a legal warning from Yoko ‘not to clone’ John Lennon, but it wasn’t a serious project,” he told the outlet. Now, however, he seems intent on embarking on a new project using the DNA from the tooth — finding Lennon’s love child.

Why is he so set on his newest mission?

Lennon had two children: Julian Lennon with his ex-wife Cynthia Lennon, and Sean Lennon with his widow Yoko Ono. However, Zuk believes Lennon fathered other children, and he wants to find them. “It’s no secret the Beatles were all popular with the ladies,” he told The Sun, adding that based on what he read in several books, women were compensated in exchange for their silence but to him, that “does not address a child’s potential rights.”

Lennon’s net worth at the time of his death in 1980 was about $200 million ($766 million in today’s money), and his net worth has only continued to grow since his passing. In fact, he’s named as one of the highest-paid dead celebrities of 2024 on Forbes’ list.

Zuk said he intends to find the offspring to allow them the chance to claim inheritance. Lennon’s tooth is no longer intact. Zuk had it ground and treated for DNA to be extracted, which would then be used for comparative testing. To be clear, though, Zuk said that he would not be paying for the tests. Instead, he will be working with a lawyer and said that he has already found one based in New York who wants to collaborate with him. “My intention is to work with a paternity lawyer and have a fee attached to a successful match and settlement from the estate,” he declared.

Ono and her son Sean inherited Lennon’s estate after his death. Julian, on the other hand, was left out of the will and was only entitled to a trust fund amounting to £100,000. He contested his father’s will in a legal battle that stretched over 16 years. The dispute was eventually resolved when Ono settled for an undisclosed amount, but some reports indicate Julian received about £20 million.