How Sir Paul McCartney's Wife Stopped Him Being Stabbed to Death by Calling Him a 'Soul Brother' When They Were Faced With Mob of Black Muggers

Sir Paul McCartney was saved from being stabbed to death when his wife Linda McCartney yelled he was a "soul brother" at a knife-wielding gang.

The terrifying tale is contained in a new book on Paul's band Wings, which the Beatles icon, 83, set up after the break-up of his iconic 1960s band.

His near-fatal encounter occurred in 1973 while Paul was in Nigeria recording "Band on the Run" with Wings. Wings had flown to Lagos to work in EMI's local studio during monsoon season, only to find the facility unfinished and the city's streets volatile.

The book details how the couple was ambushed by six muggers, one armed with a knife, and how the then 31-year-old Linda's frantic intervention prevented the attack from escalating.

The incident is recounted in Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, in which Paul said: "We got mugged one night… a car drove up and six people jumped out. The little one had a knife – he was shaking, he was s------- himself, and so was I at this point.'"

Paul continued: "Linda is a b----- chick. She's screaming, 'Don't touch him! He's a musician! He's just like you. He's a soul brother. Leave him alone!' "She's screaming at the top of her voice."

Paul said the gang fled after grabbing money and equipment, returning momentarily before speeding away again. The next day, the studio owner told him: "You're lucky you're white. They would have killed you if you'd been Black, because they'd have figured you would recognize them."

A source close to the family said: "Paul has faced all kinds of dangers, but this was one of the closest calls. Linda's instinctive reaction absolutely saved his life. She refused to let panic take over and confronted the attackers head-on."

Another insider added: "The book makes clear how intense and risky that Lagos trip was. But this moment stands out because it could so easily have gone the other way."

The book also revisits the height of Wings' fame during the 1976 Wings Over America tour.

Paul's daughter Mary said: "By the time they were in America for Wings Over America, it became a lot more apparent how famous my mum and dad were… we hadn't had that first-hand experience of fans sort of chasing them down."

Paul added, "That's what we were aiming for… against all the odds and all the trials – and in the face of a lot of harsh criticism – we suddenly woke up one day and realized we'd cracked it."

But the Lagos experience dominated the recording of "Band on the Run."

The group even arrived to hazardous flying conditions. Paul recalled: "On the plane I got asked, 'Would you like to see the landing?'… it was jungle… thick African forest. And it was cloudy – and the pilots are talking to each other. They say, 'I don't know, can you see the airport?' Because they obviously didn't have instruments."

When they landed, they discovered the studio was still under construction.

Paul added about the chaos: "We said, 'Where's the vocal booth?' And they said, 'Oh, we don't have one.'"

The musician ended up improvising with two local engineers.

Paul said: "They were so nice, these two engineers. One was called Monday and the other was called Innocent… so we taught them how to make a vocal booth."

But danger remained a constant presence.

After the mugging, Paul said: "Right, we walk fast, very fast, and don't stop for anything… forced march."

A source familiar with the book's publication said: "People forget how chaotic, risky and hand-to-mouth the Band on the Run sessions really were. This wasn't rock-star luxury – it was survival. And Linda was at the center of that."