With the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's death Friday, the former Beatle's 37-year-old son has written about their relationship.
A statement on Julian Lennon's Web site — www.julianlennon.com — said he lived with his father for only a few years and, after that, saw him only a "handful of times before he was killed."
"Sadly, I never really knew the man," the younger Lennon wrote.
Mark David Chapman fatally shot John Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980, outside the New York apartment where Lennon lived with his second wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean.
"Although he was definitely afraid of fatherhood, the combination of that and his life with Yoko Ono led to the real breakdown of our relationship," Julian Lennon wrote. "I just wanted to say that wherever he is I hope he realizes the mistakes he's made as I realize them and hope never to repeat them."