Claim: Linda McCartney was an artist.

Linda Louise , Lady McCartney -LRB- née Eastman ; formerly See ; September 24 , 1941 -- April 17 , 1998 -RRB- was an American musician , photographer , animal rights activist , entrepreneur and publisher who was married to Paul McCartney of the Beatles . Prior to marrying Paul , she was a professional photographer of celebrities and contemporary musicians , with her work published in music industry magazines . Her photos were also published in the book Linda McCartney 's Sixties : Portrait of an Era , in 1992 .   Linda married McCartney in 1969 at St John 's Wood Church in London . Her daughter , Heather Louise , from her first marriage to Melville See , was adopted by her new husband . Together , the McCartneys had three other children .   In 1971 , after they married and following the break-up of the Beatles the previous year , Paul and Linda McCartney recorded the album Ram . Shortly afterwards , they formed the band Wings . She continued to be part of her husband 's touring band following Wings ' break-up in 1981 up until The New World Tour in 1993 .   She was an animal rights activist and wrote and published several vegetarian cookbooks , and founded the Linda McCartney Foods company with her husband .   In 1995 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and died from the disease in 1998 at the age of 56 .