'My goal is to own John Lennon’s DNA': Canadian dentist plans to CLONE former Beatle from a pulled wisdom tooth and raise the child as his own son

Michael Zuk from Alberta says the tooth is 'basically genetic real estate'

He says he would try to keep the cloned child away from booze and cigs

'But, you know, guitar lessons wouldn't hurt anyone, right?' he adds

Dr Zuk bought the tooth in 2011. Lennon's old housekeeper auctioned it



'My goal is to own John Lennon's DNA': Canadian dentist Michael Zuk, who plans to clone the late Beatle from genetic information in a wisdom tooth

These are the first pictures of the dentist who wants to clone John Lennon from DNA taken from the assassinated Beatle's wisdom tooth.

Michael Zuk from Alberta, Canada, bought the molar for nearly $33,000 at an auction two years ago and now hopes to extract enough genetic data from it to recreate the musician.

'If there is enough DNA to sequence it, it could be basically genetic real estate,' he told television vet Mark Evans, who tracked him down for a Channel 4 programme.

'My goal is to own John Lennon’s DNA.'

Dr Zuk revealed that, once cloning technology is far advanced enough to replicate humans, he would clone Lennon and raise him as his own son.



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



Asked how he could ensure the new Lennon ended up a rockstar, and not a dentist like his own son, Dr Zuk replied: 'He would still be his exact duplicate but you know, hopefully keep him away from drugs and cigarettes, that kind of thing.

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

Mr Evans sought out Dr Zuk as part of Channel 4 series Dead Famous DNA, in which he employs geneticists to apply the latest advances in DNA testing to whatever samples he can get hold of.

Aside from Lennon's tooth, the series follows Mr Evans as he travels the world to track down body parts purportedly once belonging to high-profile figures including Adolf Hitler, Elvis Presley, John F Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Napoleon, Marlon Brando and King George III.

He asked Dr Zuk if he believes he would really 'own' John Lennon.

'I think I can, because of the laws,' the dentist told him. 'Depends where you do these things. If it can’t be done in one country you can do these things in another.'

Dr Zuk added: 'To have John Lennon's DNA sequence outside of the family protection to me, and full access to it, is worth millions.'

Precious: Dr Zuk shows Mark Evans the tooth which he paid nearly $33,000 for at auction

The dentist said that if the first version of John Lennon Jr didn't quite work our as planned, he might be willing to try cloning the musician more than once.

'Well, if it works once it’s going to work again, right?' he said. Mr Zuk has previously admitted that it might be some time before he is able to realise his vision of Lennon mkII.

'Animal cloning still has some glitches they are working out but they are already cloning species. Once the glitches are worked out humans will follow,' he told cosmetic dentistry comparison site Teethwise last year.

'There are people in history that everyone is fixated over ... JFK, Martin Luther King, Marilyn ... it will be possible ... and because of this, like the nuclear bomb, it will be happen.'

Yellow: John Lennon's tooth pictured before its sale at auction. Dr Zuk bought the tooth, which he says is probably a wisdom tooth, in 2011

A musical genius who became mired in controversy over his outspoken peace activism and radical political views, Lennon was shot dead in New York by Mark Chapman 34 years ago.

As of 2012, Lennon's solo album sales in the U.S. exceeded 14million and, as writer, co-writer or performer, he is responsible for 25 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart.



Assassinated: Lennon, who was shot dead in 1980, gave the tooth to his housekeeper after he had it pulled. It was put up for auction in 2011 by her son



In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth and, in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all time.



The tooth that Dr Zuk now owns was given by Lennon to his housekeeper Dorothy Jarlett, who between 1964 and 1968 lived in Weybridge, Surrey.

She later moved to Canada where she married and had kept it with her ever since.

But as the Beatle's former employee reached 90, her son Barry Jarlett decided to sell it so that the 'unique' piece of memorabilia was not lost.

Lennon formed a close bond with Miss Jarlett. He also gave her a pearl necklace and a wallet which her family decided to keep.

The pensioner provided an affidavit to confirm that the tooth was genuine.

Dr Zuk bought the tooth, which he says is probably a wisdom tooth, after it was sold through Omega Auctions in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 2011.

At the time he said he was ‘buzzing’ after the purchase, adding that it would join his collection of dinosaur teeth.