Members of the McCartney family knew the day was coming. Bill McCartney died on Jan. 10 at the age of 84 after a long battle with dementia and his son, Mike, said this week, “I thought I was ready, because we knew he was dying.” Who can really be ready, though, to say goodbye to a man who meant so much? “It hit me a lot harder than I expected,” Mike said, “and I got really emotional for a few days.