Paul McCartney waded into the ongoing controversy over Johnny Depp amid his ongoing defamation suit when the rocker featured the actor in a video at a recent concert.
Footage posted to Instagram on Tuesday shows McCartney, 79, performing his song My Valentine at a show in Seattle while showing a recording of Depp, 58, playing guitar.
The oddly timed concert footage comes as the actor is engaged in a furious court battle over his defamation suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, 36, though McCartney has been using the video at his shows for nearly a decade.
On stage: Paul McCartney, 79, appeared to signal support for his friend Johnny Depp, 58, when he played a clip of Depp from the video to his song My Valentine at a concert Tuesday in Seattle, while Depp is suing his ex Amber Heard for defamation
A representative for McCartney didn’t immediately return DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In a video shared to Instagram by Jill Vedder, McCartney can be seen at the piano as he sings My Valentine.
Behind him is a large black-and-white projected video of Depp, who initially plucks at an acoustic guitar, before he begins reciting the song’s lyrics in sign language while McCartney sings them live.
‘Might be controversial to post this video with J.D. Don’t care,’ wrote Vedder, who is a philanthropist and the wife of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, as well as an apparent acquaintance of Depp.
‘Know him only to be a gentleman,’ she continued, before defending the actor, who has been accused of sexual assault and physical abuse by his ex-wife. ‘And while I support women and the “me too” movement, I also know some women who have destroyed the lives of innocent & good men. .. @johnnydepp … p.s verbal abuse is not cool either.. watch your tongue.’
On his side: Jill Vedder, the wife of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, posted the clip and defended Depp in her comment
Sticking to it: But Depp and Natalie Portman starred in the video in 2012, and McCartney has been playing it in concerts for almost a decade; seen April 28 in Spokane, Washington
The footage projected at the Seattle concert was from the 2012 music video for McCartney’s son My Valentine, which also stars Natalie Portman.
Despite the controversial timing of the performance amid Depp’s lawsuit against Heard, McCartney has been playing the clip in concert for years.
A video from a concert in July of 2013 in Indianapolis features the same footage of Depp and a nearly identical stage setup.
McCartney and Depp’s friendship goes back years, and the former Beatle made a cameo appearance in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise with Dead Men Tell No Tales.
The Ed Wood star also appeared in McCartney’s Queenie Eye music video, and the two guitarists were seen jamming in a video for the songwriter’s Early Days in 2014, via Page Six.
Pals: Depp and McCartney have been friends for years. The actor also appeared in McCartney’s Queenie Eye video and jammed with him on Early Days; seen with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller in 1995
Costars: McCartney also appeared in Pirate Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with Depp
Earlier this week, Depp’s ex-wife Heard spoke on the stand as she tearfully recounted how the Edward Scissorhands star allegedly ‘shoved his fingers inside’ her after he allegedly ripped off her clothing and gave her a ‘cavity search’ while looking for his drugs.
During her testimony, the Aquaman actress described alleged instances of Depp emotionally and physically abusing her.
She was testifying as part of his ongoing defamation lawsuit against her over her 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post in which she referenced alleged abuse perpetrated against her, though she didn’t mention Depp by name.
However, she previously accused him of abuse while seeking a restraining order in 2016, and she has been adamant about her claims during the current trial.
Depp and Heard costarred in 2011’s The Rum Diary, and they launched a relationship the following year after he and his longtime partner Vanessa Paradis separated in 2012.
The two tied the knot in 2015, but she filed for divorce in May of the following year and received her restraining order against Depp. Their divorce was finalized in 2017.
Dramatic: Earlier this week, Depp’s ex-wife Heard spoke on the stand as she tearfully recounted how the Edward Scissorhands star allegedly sexually assaulted her while trying to give her a ‘cavity search’ for his drugs; seen Thursday in Fairfax, Virginia
Split: The couple starred in 2011’s The Rum Diary and married in 2015, but Heard filed for divorce in 2016 and got a restraining order against Depp; Depp seen Thursday in Virginia
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