Lennon tooth winner wants to own star's DNA

The dentist who won John Lennon's tooth at an auction has revealed he wants to own the late Beatle's DNA.

He believes it’ll be possible in the future to create a clone of Lennon from the genetic information.

And he’s even suggested that the carbon-copy person could one day stake a claim to the musician’s property.

Michael Zuk paid $33,000 for the tooth in 2012 and set up the website JohnLennonTooth.com to chart his ambitions.

He tells Channel 4’s Dead Famous DNA: “My goal is to own John Lennon’s DNA. To have his sequence and full access to it is worth millions.

“He could be looked at as my son, but I don’t think I would be the one owning his property. He would have the rights, when he was old enough, to make a claim.”

And Zuk believes it would be possible to steer the new Lennon away from negative influences. “He would be his exact duplicate, but I’d hopefully keep him away from drugs and cigarettes, that kind of thing.

“But, you know, guitar lessons wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?”

Asked if he really believes he could own a Lennon clone, Zuk replies: “I think I can, because of the laws. It depends where you do these things. If it can’t be done in one country you can do it in another.”

An earlier episode of Dead Famous DNA featured an investigation into the death of Elvis Presley using information gained from a strand of his hair. Experts said the results suggested the King had died of a genetic illness rather than as a result of his unhealthy lifestyle.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.