one day [...] the Guinness heir who killed himself in a car. That was the main headline story. He died in London in a car crash." Lennon, who was a friend of Browne, read the coroner's verdict into Browne's death while composing music at his piano. It was this news which inspired him to write the following lines: In 1997, Paul McCartney gave a different explanation of these lines: However, in his 2021 book The Lyrics, McCartney confirmed that the lyrics were about the death of Tara Browne. References External links All Experts (archived) Beatles Songfacts I Read the News Today, Oh Boy - Paul Howard 1945 births 1966 deaths Road incident deaths in London Tara Browne Younger sons of barons The Beatles Irish socialites Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom People from Dublin (city)