The son of late Beatle John Lennon has declared that rock 'n' roll is dead.

Singer-songwriter Sean Lennon, 31, sparked controversy by suggesting that pop music is less important today than it was in his father's sixties heyday.

He said: “I mean rock 'n' roll is already kind of played out. I wouldn't even be doing it if my mission was to be a pioneer.

"I'm only worried about creating beautiful songs. I'm not trying to reinvent songwriting. Pop music and rock 'n' roll, it's not such a vital art form anymore in the way that it was in the sixties.”