Many versions of this theory have arisen since its initial exposure to the public, but most proponents of the theory maintain that, on 9 November 1966 (or alternatively, 11 September), McCartney had an argument with his bandmates during a Sgt. Pepper recording session and drove off angrily in his car, then, distracted by a meter maid ("Lovely Rita"), failed to notice that the traffic lights had changed ("A Day In The Life"), crashed, and was decapitated ("Don't Pass Me By"). A funeral service for McCartney was held, with eulogies by Harrison ("Blue Jay Way") and Starr ("Don't Pass Me By"), followed by a procession (Abbey Roads front cover), with Lennon as the priest officiating his funeral and burying him (the alleged "I Buried Paul" statement in "Strawberry Fields Forever"). To spare the public from grief, or simply as a joke, the surviving Beatles replaced him with the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. This scenario was facilitated by the Beatles' recent retirement from live performance and by their choosing to present themselves with a new image for their next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which they began recording later that month.
Many versions of this theory have arisen since its initial exposure to the public, but most proponents of the theory maintain that, on 9 November 1966 (or alternatively, 11 September), McCartney had an argument with his bandmates during a Sgt. Pepper recording session and drove off angrily in his car, then, distracted by a meter maid ("Lovely Rita"), failed to notice that the traffic lights had changed ("A Day In The Life"), crashed, and was decapitated ("Don't Pass Me By"). A funeral service for McCartney was held, with eulogies by Harrison ("Blue Jay Way") and Starr ("Don't Pass Me By"), followed by a procession (Abbey Roads front cover), with Lennon as the priest officiating his funeral and burying him (the alleged "I Buried Paul" statement in "Strawberry Fields Forever"). To spare the public from grief, or simply as a joke, the surviving Beatles replaced him with the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest This scenario was facilitated by the Beatles' recent retirement from live performance and by their choosing to present themselves with a new image for their next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which they began recording later that month.