Sir Paul McCartney just opened up in a wide-ranging interview about how he feels about his legendary band The Beatles these days, specifically his deceased bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison.

“John and George are still a big part of my life, always will be,” he said. “It would have been great to get the Beatles back together again. People always say what if? But we can’t, so, sadly, that’s not going to happen.”

“I often think about them with a lot of sadness, because they should still be here. In John’s case, it was a terrible thing. In George’s, a terrible illness,” he continued. “If by some strange fluke it was to happen, it would be beautiful. As a musician, you often have dreams about being in the studio or on stage, so I’m often with the guys.”

“Just the other morning, I woke up and I was with George. And that was very nice. I think of George as my little mate – he was the youngest in the group,” Paul said. “That’s how I run into John and George these days. So the Beatles have re-formed – in my head. Even though there is sadness, the main thing is the joy of knowing those two guys. I miss them a lot.”

John was killed in 1980 by Mark David Chapman, who shot him outside of his New York City apartment Building. George died in 2001 following a lengthy battle with lung cancer, leaving Paul and drummer Ringo Starr as the only surviving members of the group. Earlier this month, Paul and Ringo reunited on stage at London’s O2 arena during the final night of the UK leg of Macca’s Freshen Up tour.

The Beatles were one of the most legendary singing groups of all time, and John and George are still dearly missed by millions of fans all over the globe.  We can only hope that Paul and Ringo will reunite on stage more in the future!