How did Paul and the other Beatles react to the "Paul is dead" controversy?

Question: How did Paul and the other Beatles react to the "Paul is dead" controversy?

Answer: Approached at his Scottish farm in 1969, Paul was quoted in Life magazine as saying, "It is all bloody stupid. I picked up that OPD badge in Canada. It was a police badge. Perhaps it means Ontario Police Department or something. I was wearing a black flower because they ran out of red ones. It is John, not me, dressed in black on the cover and inside of Magical Mystery Tour. On Abbey Road we were wearing our ordinary clothes. I was walking barefoot because it was a hot day. The Volkswagen just happened to be parked there... the people who are making up these rumors should look to themselves a little more. There is not enough time in life. They should worry about themselves instead of worrying whether I am dead or not."

Ringo, perhaps true to form, dismissed the rumors as "a load of crap." As to whether or not the Beatles themselves were involved or had created the hoax, John replied, "No. That was bullshit, the whole thing was made up." (John has always maintained the lyrics of "Glass Onion" -- in which he says "Well, here's another clue for you all / The Walrus was Paul" -- were a response to critics and fans attempting to decipher the meaning of "I Am The Walrus." Remember also that the "White Album" appeared before the PID rumors gained national popularity.)

He did, however, make a winking reference to the controversy on his scathing 1971 attack on Paul, "How Do You Sleep?": "Those freaks was right when they said you was dead." Oddly, PID believers do not point to this song as further evidence, or attempt to explain why John would write and record such a bitter song about someone who was now dead.