London  - The woman who as a young child inspired the Beatles hit song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds has died at the age of 46, a British charity said Monday.

The song, which featured on the 1967 album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was inspired by a picture of Lucy O'Donnell drawn by John Lennon's elder son, Julian, in his nursery school in 1966.

Julian took the picture home to show it to his father, explaining: "It's Lucy in the sky with diamonds."

When Lennon and Paul McCartney's song was subsequently released, it caused controversy because of its hallucinogenic theme and supposed reference to the drug LSD.

Monday's report said that former classmates Julian and Lucy resumed their friendship when Lennon heard that Lucy had become ill with lupus, a disease of the immune system.

The St Thomas Lupus Trust, which had been supporting Lucy - whose married name was Vodden - said she died a week ago.

The trust said that Lennon, and his mother, Cynthia - John Lennon's first wife - were "shocked and saddened" by her death.  dpa