60 years ago, Adrienne D’Onofrio cut school for a very important reason – to see The Beatles.
The Fab Four touched down in New York on February 7th to kick off their first-ever pilgrimage to the United States, sparking a once-in-a-lifetime frenzy amongst teenage girls across the country.
One of these girls, Adrienne D’Onofrio – or ‘Adrienne from Brooklyn’ as she colloquially became known as – was one of the thousands of girls who fought tooth and nail to catch a glimpse at the band during their two week visit.
After cutting school and standing with throngs of other teenage girls outside the band’s hotel, Adrienne found herself in front of a CBS News camera where she professed her love for The Beatles – and Paul McCartney in particular.
“I don’t care what anybody thinks! I’ll love the Beatles forever and I’ll always love them. Even when I’m 105 and an old grandmother I’ll love them,” Adrienne declares with a distinct Brooklyn accent.
“And Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrienne from Brooklyn loves you with all her heart. I love you, Paul! And please come to the window so I can just see you. I saw you smoking before and I kissed the limousine you walked out of. But I love you and I want you, Paul. And Ringo, you can walk out too, because I like you,” she adds.
The clip, which is illustrative of the timeless and intoxicating feeling of being fangirl, has circled through The Beatles fan community for years and even featured in Ron Howard’s 2016 documentary Eight Days A Week which chronicled The Beatles first trip to America.
However, though iconic, Adrienne from Brooklyn’s real identity was a complete mystery – until now.
Whilst the video had made the rounds in various Beatles forums over the years, it also went viral on TikTok last year – introducing it to millions of new viewers, one of which being Sir Paul McCartney himself.
“Hey, Adrienne, it’s Paul. Listen, I saw your video. I’m in Brooklyn now. I finally got here,” Paul said in a video posted in April 2024, promoting his photography exhibit opening in Brooklyn.
“And Adrienne from Brooklyn if you are listening, Paul McCartney from Liverpool loves you too,” the rocker added in the caption.
Internet sleuths immediately went to work, searching for Adrienne From Brooklyn and now, her identity has been revealed.
Rolling Stone first reported that Adrienne from Brooklyn was most likely Adrienne D’Onofrio, who was 14 years old at the time of her famous utterance. Adrienne sadly passed away in 1992 at just 41 years old after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Rolling Stone reported. However, her son, John D’Onofrio and his siblings found the video online and believe that Adrienne from Brooklyn is in fact, their beloved mum, Adrienne D’Onofrio.
“I didn’t realise there was great interest in finding out the identity of Adrienne from Brooklyn,” John D’Onofrio exclusively tells The Weekly. “I didn’t know the video of her was viral, I thought it was her but I was unsure. She loved The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.”
“My mother was sassy and she loved practical jokes too,” John said, referring to his mother’s natural humour in the clip.
Though Adrienne has sadly passed, her evident love for The Beatles is a testament to the timeless ability of bands and their music to connect with their fans.
