yoko ono
Yoko Ono may have suffered a stroke, sources said. Reuters

Yoko Ono is speaking out after the tragic passing of Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of Beatles great John Lennon. Ono, who is a musician herself, was the late singer's second wife. The two married in 1969, just one year after he and Cynthia ended their marriage. Ono took to her website to speak about the 75-year-old's death Wednesday, sharing a heartfelt message with fans about Cynthia's "zest for life" and issuing her condolences to Cynthia and John's son, Julian.

"I'm very saddened by Cynthia's death," Ono, 82, wrote. "She was a great person and a wonderful mother to Julian. She had such a strong zest for life and I felt proud how we two women stood first in the Beatles family. Please join me in sending love and support to Julian at this very sad time."

According to a statement released by her rep, Cynthia died early Wednesday at her home in Spain. The statement reveals that she passed away following a very brief battle with cancer. She was reportedly with her 51-year-old son at the time of her death.

Cynthia and John were married from 1962 to 1968. Julian, who was born in 1963, was their only child. Billboard reports that the couple's marriage was less than perfect. Cynthia reportedly claimed her late husband had gotten physical with her on one occasion. She later defended him, saying it happened just once and it was purely a jealousy issue.

"He was a very jealous young man at the time, and he had a lot of pain inside," she said. "He wanted to trust me and he thought by seeing me dancing with a friend of his that I was being disloyal or messing around. So he smacked me, but that was the only time."

Following their divorce, John married Ono, whom he was with until the time of his death in 1980. John was shot and killed while attempting to enter his New York home.