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Yoko Oh No: John Lennon’s widow told Liam Gallagher he was ‘silly’ to name his son after the music legend

Liam Gallagher says John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono told him it was "silly" to name his son after The Beatles rocker.

The 47-year-old former Oasis singer met Yoko in 1999, the same year his eldest son Lennon was born, and has claimed the artist – who was married to John until he was shot dead in 1980 – thought the memorable moniker was ridiculous.

He recalled: "Yoko said, ‘I’ve heard you’ve called your son Lennon’.

"I said, ‘Yeah’, she said, ‘Why? Do you not think it’s a bit of a silly name?’

"And I said, ‘No, it’s a bit silly being called Yoko isn’t it? So Lennon it is.’ "

Yoko was reportedly worried Lennon, now 20, would get "picked on" at school for his name, but Liam – who has Lennon with Patsy Kensit, as well as 19-year-old Gene with Nicole Appleton, 22-year-old Molly with Lisa Moorish, and seven-year-old Gemma with Liza Ghorbani – insisted the kids would be impressed by the moniker.

He added: "And she said, ‘Don’t you think he’ll get picked on in school?’ I was like, ‘Nah man, he’ll be buzzing with that name.’ "

The ‘Shockwave’ hitmaker also revealed Yoko makes a "nice cup of tea", and spoke about visiting her home in New York City.

He said: "She asked me if I wanted a go on the piano, I said, ‘No you’re all right’. Then she showed us around.

"I said, ‘That’s a really nice picture of you’, she had loads round the piano.

"She looked cool, Yoko, she had these shades on and a playsuit and I said, ‘It’s a really cool picture’ and she said, ‘That was John’s favourite’."

Liam said Yoko gifted him and his older brother Noel, 53, a flower to wear at Oasis’ concert in Madison Square Garden, but claims Noel – whom he has been in a bitter rivalry with since Oasis split in 2009 – refused to wear it.

He told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "It was her favourite and she goes, ‘John wore it at the gig with Elton’. There was one for me and Noel, so I said, ‘Here, this is from Yoko’ and he went, ‘I ain’t wearing a f****** flower’ and he launched it."