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Birth name	John Winston Lennon
Born	9 October 1940 Liverpool, England(1940-10-09)
Died	8 December 1980 (aged 40) New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s)	Rock, pop rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, Writer, Poet, Artist, Peace activist, actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, harmonica, banjo
Years active	1957 – 1976, 1980
Label(s)	Parlophone, Capitol, Apple, EMI, Geffen, Polydor
Associated acts	The Quarrymen, The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band, The Dirty Mac
Website	www.johnlennon.com

John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon,^[1]^[2] MBE (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English rock musician, singer, writer, songwriter, artist, actor and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. Lennon along with Paul McCartney formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and "wrote some of the most popular music in rock and roll history".^[3] Lennon revealed his rebellious nature and wit on television, in films such as A Hard Day's Night, in books such as In His Own Write, and in press conferences and interviews. He was controversial through his work as a peace activist, artist, and author.

After The Beatles, Lennon launched a successful solo career, during which he wrote and recorded many songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". After a self-imposed "retirement" from 1976 to 1980, Lennon reemerged with a comeback album, but was murdered one month later in New York City on 8 December 1980.

Lennon had two sons: Julian Lennon, with his first wife Cynthia Lennon, and Sean Ono Lennon, with his second wife, avant-garde artist Yoko Ono.

In 2002, respondents to a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted Lennon into eighth place. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked The Beatles at number one. He was also ranked fifth greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2009.^[4]

Early years: 1940–1957

John Winston Lennon was born in the Liverpool Maternity Hospital, Oxford Street, Liverpool, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred (Alf, or Freddie) Lennon, during the course of a German air raid in World War II. Julia's sister, Mary Smith, (Mimi) ran through the blacked out back roads to reach the hospital. A two mile trek to the hospital, she used the explosions to see where she was going.^[5]^[6]^[7] He was named after his paternal grandfather, John 'Jack' Lennon, and Winston Churchill.^[7] Alf was a merchant seaman during World War II, and was often away from home, but sent regular pay cheques to Julia, who was living with the young Lennon at 9 Newcastle Road, Liverpool, but the cheques stopped when Alf went AWOL in 1943.^[8]^[9] When Alf eventually came home in 1944, he offered to look after his wife and son, but Julia (who was pregnant with another man's child) rejected the idea.^[10] After considerable pressure from her sister, Mary "Mimi" Smith (who contacted Liverpool's Social Services to complain about Julia), she handed the care of Lennon over to Mimi.^[11] In July 1946, Alf visited Mimi and took Lennon to Blackpool, secretly intending to emigrate to New Zealand with him.^[12] Julia followed them, and after a very heated argument, Alf made the five-year-old Lennon choose between Julia or him, and Lennon chose him twice. As Julia walked away, however, Lennon began to cry and followed her. Alf then lost contact with Lennon until the height of Beatlemania, when father and son met again.^[13]

Throughout the rest of his childhood and adolescence, Lennon lived with his Aunt Mimi and her husband George Smith, who had no children of their own, in Woolton, in a house called "Mendips" (251 Menlove Avenue). Mimi bought volumes of short stories for Lennon, and George, who was a dairyman at his family's farm, engaged Lennon in solving crossword puzzles, and bought him a harmonica. (Smith died on 5 June 1955).^[14]^[12] Julia Lennon visited Mendips almost every day, and when Lennon was 11 he often visited her at 1 Blomfield Road, Liverpool. Julia taught Lennon how to play the banjo, and played Elvis Presley's records for him. The first song he learned was Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame".^[15]^[16]

Lennon was raised as an Anglican and attended Dovedale County Primary School until he passed his Eleven-Plus exam.^[17]^[18] From September 1952 to 1957, he attended the Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool, where he was known as a "happy-go-lucky" pupil, drawing comical cartoons and mimicking his teachers.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Julia bought Lennon his first guitar in 1957, which was a Gallotone Champion acoustic (a cheap model that was "guaranteed not to split").^[22] Julia insisted it be delivered to her house and not to Mimi's, who hoped that Lennon would grow bored with music; She was sceptical of Lennon's claim that he would be famous one day, often telling him, "The guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it."^[22]^[23] On 15 July 1958, when Lennon was 17, Julia was killed on Menlove Avenue (close to Mimi's house) when struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer.^[24]^[25] Her death was a bond between Lennon and Paul McCartney, who also had lost his own mother (to breast cancer) on 31 October 1956.^[26]

Lennon failed all his GCE O-level examinations, and was only accepted into the Liverpool College of Art with help from his school's headmaster and Mimi. There, Lennon met his future wife, Cynthia Powell, when he was a Teddy Boy.^[27] Lennon was often disruptive in class and ridiculed his teachers, resulting in them refusing to have him as a student.^[28]^[29] Lennon failed an annual Art College exam despite help from Powell, and dropped out before his last year of college.^[30]

The Beatles: 1957–1970

When Lennon decided that he wanted to try making music himself, he and fellow Quarry Bank Grammar School friend, Eric Griffiths, took guitar lessons at Hunts Cross in Liverpool, although Lennon gave up the lessons soon after.^[31] Lennon started The Quarrymen in March 1957.^[32] On 6 July 1957, Lennon met McCartney at the Quarrymen's second concert at the St. Peter's Church Woolton Garden fête.^[33]^[34] McCartney's father told his son that Lennon would get him "into a lot of trouble", but later allowed The Quarrymen to rehearse in the front room at 20 Forthlin Road.^[35]^[36] There, Lennon and McCartney began writing songs together. The first song Lennon completed was "Hello, Little Girl" when he was 18 years old, which later became a hit for the Fourmost.^[37] McCartney convinced Lennon to allow George Harrison to join the Quarrymen (even though Lennon thought Harrison to be too young) after Harrison played the song "Raunchy" for Lennon on the upper deck of a bus.^[38] Harrison joined the band as lead guitarist, and Stuart Sutcliffe — Lennon's friend from art school — later joined as bassist.^[39]^[40] After a series of name changes, the group decided on The Beatles. Lennon was always considered the leader of the group, as McCartney explained: "We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader - he was the quickest wit and the smartest and all that kind of thing."^[41]^[42]

Allan Williams became the Beatles' first manager in May 1960, after they had played in his Jacaranda club.^[43] A few months later he booked them into Bruno Koschmider's Indra club in Hamburg, Germany.^[44]^[45] Lennon's Aunt Mimi was horrified when he told her about the trip to Hamburg, and pleaded with him to continue his studies.^[46] After the first residency Sutcliffe left The Beatles to concentrate on his artwork, and to be with his girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr. McCartney took over as bass player for the group.^[47] Koschmider reported McCartney and drummer Pete Best for arson after the two attached a condom to a nail in the 'Bambi' (a cinema where they were staying) and set fire to it.^[48] They were deported, as was Harrison for working under age.^[49] A few days later Lennon's work permit was revoked and he went home by train.^[50]

After Harrison turned 18 and the immigration problems had been solved, The Beatles went back to Hamburg for another residency in April 1961. While they were there, they recorded "My Bonnie" with Tony Sheridan.^[51] News of Sheridan and The Beatles' record was published on the front page of Mersey Beat — a Liverpool music magazine — which was available at Brian Epstein's music store, and prompted Epstein to order extra copies from Polydor.^[52] In April 1962, The Beatles went back to Hamburg to play at the Star-Club, and were told that Sutcliffe had died two days before they arrived.^[53] This was another blow for Lennon, after losing his uncle and his mother.^[53]

On 9 May 1962, George Martin signed The Beatles to EMI's comedy label, Parlophone. After their first recording session, Martin voiced his displeasure with Best.^[54] It was decided that Ringo Starr, drummer with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, should join, although it was left to Epstein to inform Best. Epstein dismissed Best on 16 August 1962, almost exactly two years after Best had joined the group.^[55]^[56] The Beatles released their first double-sided original single, "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You" on 5 October; it reached #17 on the British charts (although Starr did not play on these tracks, Martin having secured the services of Andy White, a session drummer, before he knew Best had been replaced). On 11 February 1963, the group recorded their first album Please Please Me in one day with Lennon suffering from a common cold.^[57] Originally the Lennon-McCartney songs on the first pressing of the album, as well as the single "From Me to You" and its B-side "Thank You Girl", were credited to "McCartney-Lennon", but this was later changed to "Lennon-McCartney".^[58] Lennon and McCartney usually needed an hour or two to finish a song, most of which were written in hotel rooms after a concert, at Wimpole Street — Jane Asher's home — or at Cavendish Avenue; McCartney's home^[59] or at Kenwood (Lennon's house).^[60] The album and single hit #1 in Britain, and EMI offered the album to their U.S. subsidiary, Capitol Records, but they turned it down.^[61] Epstein finally secured a deal with Vee-Jay Records; a predominantly black R&B and gospel label.^[62] Neither the single or the accompanying album, Introducing The Beatles were successful in the US. By the time the group recorded "She Loves You", they were dropped from Vee Jay and once again, Capitol declined to release their records. EMI were forced to release it on the even more obscure Swan Records label.^[63] It did eventually hit #1 in January 1964, after Capitol Records finally released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in America. Following their historic appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles would embark on a two-year non-stop period of productivity: constant international tours, making movies, and writing hit songs. Lennon wrote two books, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works,^[64] while The Beatles achieved recognition from the British Establishment when they were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours.^[65]

Lennon complained that nobody heard them play for all the screaming, and their musicianship was beginning to suffer.^[66] By the time he wrote his 1965 song "Help!", Lennon had put on quite a bit of weight and said he was subconsciously crying out for help and seeking change.^[67]

The catalyst for this change occurred on 4 March 1966, when Lennon was interviewed for the London Evening Standard by Maureen Cleave, and talked about Christianity by saying: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I do not know what will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity...We're more popular than Jesus now."^[68] Five months later, an American teen magazine called Datebook reprinted part of the quote on its front cover.^[69]

The American Bible Belt protested in the South and Midwest, and conservative groups staged public burnings of Beatles' records and memorabilia.^[70] Radio stations banned Beatles music and concert venues cancelled performances. Even The Vatican got involved with a public denouncement of Lennon's comments. On August 11, 1966, the Beatles held a press conference in Chicago, Illinois, in order to address the growing furore.

“

Lennon: "I suppose if I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away with it, but I just happened to be talking to a friend and I used the words "Beatles" as a remote thing, not as what I think - as Beatles, as those other Beatles like other people see us. I just said "they" are having more influence on kids and things than anything else, including Jesus. But I said it in that way which is the wrong way."

Reporter: "Some teenagers have repeated your statements - "I like the Beatles more than Jesus Christ." What do you think about that?"

Lennon: "Well, originally I pointed out that fact in reference to England. That we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion at that time. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it as a fact and it's true more for England than here. I'm not saying that we're better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it's all this."

Reporter: "But are you prepared to apologise?"

Lennon: "I wasn't saying whatever they're saying I was saying. I'm sorry I said it really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologise if that will make you happy. I still don't know quite what I've done. I've tried to tell you what I did do but if you want me to apologise, if that will make you happy, then OK, I'm sorry."^[71]

”

The governing members of the Vatican accepted his apology and the furor eventually died down, but constant Beatlemania, mobs, crazed teenagers, and now a press ready to tear them to pieces over any quote was too much to handle. The Beatles soon decided to stop touring, and indeed, never performed a scheduled concert again.

Lennon later wrote, "I always remember to thank Jesus for the end of my touring days; if I hadn't said that The Beatles were 'bigger than Jesus' and upset the very Christian Ku Klux Klan, well, Lord, I might still be up there with all the other performing fleas! God bless America. Thank you, Jesus."^[68]

In a 2008 article marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' "White Album" release, the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a statement about Lennon's remark about Jesus and The Beatles' popularity: "The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation, mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll. The fact remains that 38 years after breaking up, the songs of the Lennon-McCartney brand have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians." ^[72]

Lennon left The Beatles in September 1969 (Starr had previously left and then returned during 1968, and Harrison had left on 10 January 1969, during the filming for Let It Be, but returned after a Beatles' meeting at Starr's house two days later).^[73] Lennon agreed not to make an announcement while the band renegotiated their recording contract, but McCartney released a question-and-answer interview that he had written himself in April 1970, declaring that he was no longer a member of The Beatles.^[74] Lennon's reaction when told was, "Jesus Christ! He [McCartney] gets all the credit for it!" Lennon later told Rolling Stone: "I was a fool not to do what Paul did, which was use it to sell a record," (McCartney's first solo album) and later wrote, "I started the band. I finished it."^[75]

In 1970, Jann Wenner recorded an interview with Lennon that was played on BBC radio in 2005. The interview reveals Lennon's bitterness towards McCartney and the hostility he felt that the other members had for Ono. Lennon said: "One of the main reasons The Beatles ended is because we got fed up with being sidemen for Paul. After Brian Epstein died we collapsed. Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles?"^[76] Lennon later expressed his displeasure with the scant credit Harrison gave him as an influence in his autobiography, I Me Mine, and was unhappy that McCartney's songs, such as "Yesterday", "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be", were more often covered than his own contributions. Lennon also spoke warmly of his former band members, however, by saying: "I still love those guys. The Beatles are over, but John, Paul, George and Ringo go on."^[34]

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Solo career

At the end of 1968, Lennon performed as part of the group Dirty Mac, in The Rolling Stones' film Rock and Roll Circus. The supergroup, made up of Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell, also backed Ono's performance.^[77] Lennon and Ono were married on 20 March 1969, and he soon released a series of 14 lithographs called "Bag One" depicting scenes from their honeymoon.,^[78] eight of which were deemed indecent and most were banned and confiscated.^[79]

Lennon and Ono recorded three albums of experimental music together: Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, ^[80] an album known more for its cover than the musical content, Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album. His first "solo" album was Live Peace in Toronto 1969—recorded prior to the breakup of The Beatles—recorded at a Rock 'n' Roll Festival in Toronto with The Plastic Ono Band. He also recorded three solo singles: the anti-war anthem, "Give Peace a Chance", "Cold Turkey", and "Instant Karma!". Following The Beatles' split in 1970, Lennon released John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, a raw emotional album that dealt with Lennon's pain in losing his mother and split with The Beatles. It included "Working Class Hero", which was banned by BBC Radio for its inclusion of the word "fucking".^[81]

His album Imagine followed in 1971, and the title song would later become an anthem for anti-war movements. The song "How Do You Sleep?" was widely perceived as a personal attack against McCartney, although Lennon later claimed that he wrote the song about himself.^[82]^[83] On 31 August 1971, Lennon left England for New York, and released the "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" single in December of 1971.^[84] To advertise the single, Lennon and Ono paid for a billboard in Times Square, which read, "WAR IS OVER" in large text with "if you want it" in much smaller text underneath.^[85] Some Time in New York City was released in 1972. Recorded with Elephant's Memory, it contained songs about women's rights, race relations, Britain's role in Northern Ireland, and Lennon's problems obtaining a United States Green Card.^[86] Lennon had been interested in left-wing politics since the late 1960s, and reportedly donated money to the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party.^[87]

In 1972, Lennon released "Woman Is the Nigger of the World". Many radio stations refused to broadcast the song, although Lennon was allowed to perform it on The Dick Cavett Show.^[88] On 30 August 1972 Lennon and Elephant's Memory gave two benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York to benefit the patients at the Willowbrook State School Staten Island.^[89] These were to be Lennon's last full-length concert appearances.^[90] mental facility on

In November 1973, Lennon released Mind Games, which was credited to "the Plastic U.F.Ono Band". He also wrote "I'm the Greatest" for Starr's album Ringo (his own demo version of the song appears on the John Lennon Anthology) and produced "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)" for Mick Jagger. In September 1974, Lennon released Walls and Bridges and the single "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" (a #1 duet with Elton John). A second single from the album, "#9 Dream", was released in December. He wrote "Goodnight Vienna" for Starr, and played piano on the recording.^[91] On 28 November, Lennon made a surprise guest appearance at Elton John's Thanksgiving concert at Madison Square Garden after he lost a bet with John that "Whatever Gets You" would reach #1.^[92] Lennon performed "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There". Lennon rush-released Rock 'n' Roll, an album of cover songs, in February 1975 – with Phil Spector as producer – before Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits was released (issued by Morris Levy on the Adam VIII label).^[93]

Lennon made his last stage appearance on ATV's 18 April 1975 special called A Salute to Lew Grade performing "Imagine", "Stand By Me" (cut from the televised edition), and "Slippin' and Slidin'" from his Rock 'n' Roll LP.^[94] Lennon's backup band was BOMF (also known as "Etc." that evening).^[95] The band members wore two-faced masks which were digs at Grade, with whom Lennon and McCartney had been in conflict because of Grade's control of The Beatles' publishing company. Dick James, The Beatles' publisher, had sold his majority share in Maclen Music (Lennon's and McCartney's publishing company) to Grade in 1969. During "Imagine", Lennon interjected the line "and no immigration too", a reference to his battle to remain in the United States.^[86] In October 1975, Lennon fulfilled his contractual obligation to EMI/Capitol for one more album by releasing Shaved Fish, a greatest hits compilation. On 9 October 1975 – Lennon's 35th birthday – his son Sean Ono Lennon was born. Lennon wrote and recorded "Cookin' (In The Kitchen of Love)" with Ringo Starr in June 1976, his last recording session until his 1980 comeback.^[96] In 1977, Lennon announced he would be taking three years off to raise Sean. Lennon emerged from retirement in November 1980, releasing Double Fantasy, which also featured Ono. In June 1980, Lennon had traveled with Sean to Bermuda for a sailing trip on a 43-foot sloop, where he wrote songs for the album.^[97] The name of the album was taken from a species of freesia flowers that Lennon had seen in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens. He liked the name and saw it as a perfect description of his marriage to Ono.^[98] After the release of the album, Lennon started planning the next album, Milk and Honey.^[99] Lennon was asked whether the group were dreaded enemies or the best of friends in 1980. He replied that they were neither, but had not seen any of them for a long time. Lennon said that the last time McCartney had visited Lennon they had watched the episode of Saturday Night Live, in which Lorne Michaels made a $3,000 cash offer to get The Beatles to reunite on the show.^[100] They had considered going to the studio to appear as a joke, but were too tired.^[34] This event was fictionalized in the 2000 television film, Two of Us.^[101]

Marriages and relationships

In one of his last major interviews, in September 1980, Lennon said that he had never questioned his chauvinistic attitudes towards women until he met Ono. Lennon was always distant with his first son, Julian, but was close to his second son, Sean, calling him "My pride". Near the end of Lennon's life, he said that he accepted the role of househusband, after taking on the role of a wife and mother in his relationship with Ono.^[34]

Cynthia Lennon

Cynthia Powell met Lennon at the Liverpool Art College in 1957.^[27] Although Lennon was not her type, she was attracted to him. After hearing Lennon comment favorably about another girl who looked like Brigitte Bardot, Powell changed the color of her hair to blonde.^[102] Their relationship started after a college party before the summer holidays when Lennon asked Powell to go a pub with him and some friends.^[103] Powell told him she was engaged (to a young man called Barry, in Hoylake) so Lennon stormed off, shouting, "I didn't ask you to fucking marry me, did I!?"^[104] Lennon was often jealous, and once slapped Powell across the face (knocking her head against the wall) the day after he saw her dancing with Sutcliffe.^[105] In mid-1962, Powell discovered she was pregnant with Lennon's child.^[106] They were married on 23 August at the Mount Pleasant Register Office in Liverpool. Manager Epstein thought a married Beatle might alienate some fans and insisted the Lennons keep their union a secret. John Charles Julian Lennon was born in Sefton General Hospital on 8 April 1963.^[107]

Lennon was on tour and would not see Julian for three days, and shortly after went on holiday to Spain with Epstein, which would lead to speculation of an affair between the two (Epstein was widely known to be homosexual). Shortly afterwards, at Paul McCartney's twenty-first birthday party, a drunken Lennon physically attacked Cavern Club MC Bob Wooler for saying "How was your honeymoon, John?" (Wooler was referring to Lennon's marriage, and not Lennon's holiday in Spain with Epstein).^[108] In 1991, a fictionalized account of the Lennon/Epstein holiday was made into an independent movie called The Hours And Times.^[109] Lennon was distant to Julian, who felt closer to McCartney than to his father. Julian later said, "I've never really wanted to know the truth about how dad was with me. There was some very negative stuff talked about me ... like when he said I'd come out of a whiskey bottle on a Saturday night.^[34] Stuff like that. You think, where's the love in that? Paul and I used to hang about quite a bit ... more than dad and I did. We had a great friendship going and there seems to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing together at that age than there are pictures of me and my dad."^[110]

Cynthia Lennon had become aware of Lennon's infidelities, but cites his increasing drug use^[111] When Lennon and The Beatles went to Bangor to meditate, Powell and Lennon were separated on the train platform. A policeman, who did not recognize her, kept her from boarding the train. As she watched Lennon's train pull out of the station, she broke into tears. In the documentary Imagine she explained, "Normally I wouldn't have broken down, I'd have kept my cool... I knew I'd get there anyway. But at that point I felt so sad. This was symbolic of our life... I'm getting off at this station."^[112] Lennon later tried to sue Powell for divorce, claiming she had committed adultery and not him.^[113] When it was discovered that Ono had become pregnant, Powell petitioned Lennon for divorce. During negotiations Lennon refused to give his wife any more than £75,000, supposedly saying, "What have you done to deserve it? Christ, it's like winning the bloody pools." The case was settled out of court, with Powell receiving £100,000, £2,400 annually, custody of Julian and the Lennons' house (Kenwood).^[114] for their growing apart. She was also aware of Lennon's friendship with Ono. Eventually, according to Powell, she actually suggested to Lennon that perhaps Ono was the woman for him.

When Lennon and Ono moved to New York, Julian would not see his father again until 1973.^[115] During the time Lennon and Ono were separated, he lived with his personal assistant, May Pang. With Pang's encouragement, it was arranged for Julian (and Powell) to visit Lennon in Los Angeles, where they went to Disneyland.^[116] Julian started to see his father more regularly, and played drums on "Ya Ya" from Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges.^[117]^[118] Lennon also bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul guitar, and a drum machine^[119]^[120] In his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon was quoted as saying: "Sean was a planned child, and therein lies the difference. I don't love Julian any less as a child. He's still my son, whether he came from a bottle of whiskey or because they didn't have pills in those days. He's here, he belongs to me, and he always will."^[34] In an interview shortly before his death, Lennon said he was trying to re-establish a connection with the then 17-year-old Julian, and confidently predicted that "Julian and I will have a relationship in the future." Both Julian and Sean Lennon went on to have recording careers years after their father's death.^[121] After Lennon's death, it was revealed that Julian was not mentioned in Lennon's will.^[122] It was said that Ono gave Julian £20 million, which Julian refuted by saying that it was minimal compared to the figure reported.^[110] for Christmas in 1973, and encouraged Julian's interest in music by showing him some chords.

Yoko Ono

There are two versions of how Lennon and Ono met: The first version says that on 9 November 1966, Lennon went to the Indica gallery in London, where Ono was preparing her conceptual art exhibit, and they were introduced by gallery owner John Dunbar.^[123]^[124]^[34] The second version is that in late 1965, Ono was in London compiling original musical scores for a book that John Cage was working on.^[125] She knocked on McCartney's door, but he declined to give her any manuscripts as he kept all his originals, but suggested that Lennon might oblige. When asked, Lennon gave the original handwritten lyrics to "The Word" from Rubber Soul to Ono. They were reproduced in Cage's book, Notations.^[126] Lennon was intrigued by Ono's "Hammer A Nail" Piece: patrons hammered a nail into a wooden board, creating the art piece. Lennon wanted to hammer a nail in the clean board, but Ono stopped him because the exhibit had not opened. Dunbar then said to Ono, "Don't you know who this is?" Ono had not heard of The Beatles but relented, on the condition that Lennon pay her five shillings. Lennon then said, "I'll give you an imaginary five shillings and hammer an imaginary nail."

Lennon began his physical relationship with Ono—seven years his senior—in May 1968, after Lennon returned from India, where he had received numerous postcards from Ono, who was in London.^[85] As Cynthia Lennon was in Greece on holiday, Lennon invited Ono to his home, where they spent the night recording what would become the Two Virgins album, and later said they made love at dawn.^[127]^[128] When Cynthia returned home she found Lennon and Ono, who was wearing Cynthia's bathrobe, drinking tea together. Lennon simply said, "Oh, Hi".^[129] Cynthia filed for divorce later that year, on the grounds of Lennon's adultery, which was proven by Ono's pregnancy. Ono later miscarried John Ono Lennon II on 21 November 1968.^[130]

During Lennon's last two years in The Beatles, he and Ono began public protests against the Vietnam War. Lennon sent back his MBE insignia in 1969, which Queen Elizabeth had bestowed upon him in 1965.^[131] He wrote: "Your Majesty, I am returning this in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against "Cold Turkey" slipping down the charts. With love. John Lennon of Bag."^[132]^[133] The couple were married in Gibraltar on 20 March 1969, and spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam campaigning for an international "Bed-In" for peace. They planned another "Bed-in" in the United States, but were denied entry. The couple then went to neighbouring Montréal, and during a "Bed-in" at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel recorded "Give Peace a Chance".^[134] Lennon and Ono often combined advocacy with performance art, as in their "Bagism", which was first introduced during a Vienna press conference. Lennon detailed this period in The Beatles' song "The Ballad of John and Yoko".^[135] In April 1969, on the roof of Apple Records, Lennon changed his name to John Ono Lennon.^[136] After Ono was injured in a car accident, Lennon arranged for a king-sized bed to be brought to the recording studio as he worked on The Beatles' last album, Abbey Road.^[137] To escape the acrimony of The Beatles' breakup, Ono suggested they move permanently to New York, which they did on 31 August 1971. They first lived in the St. Regis Hotel on 5th Avenue, East 55th Street, and then moved a loft at 105 Bank Street, Greenwich Village, New York City, on 16 October 1971. After a robbery, they relocated to the more secure Dakota at 1 West 72nd Street, in February 1973.^[138]

May Pang and the "Lost Weekend"

In June 1973, Ono decided that she and Lennon should separate. Ono suggested that he take their personal assistant, May Pang, as a companion.^[139] Lennon soon moved to California with Pang, and embarked on an eighteen-month period he would later call his "Lost Weekend."^[110] While Lennon and Pang were living in L.A., Lennon's drunken behavior was widely reported by the media. Lennon also took the opportunity to get reacquainted with his son, Julian, whom he had not seen in four years.^[140]

In May 1974, Lennon and Pang returned to New York where he began work on Walls and Bridges. On the evening of 23 August 1974, both Lennon and Pang claimed to have seen a U.F.O. in the sky from their balcony. Lennon mentioned the sighting in the booklet accompanying the Walls and Bridges album.^[141] When Lennon lost a bet to Elton John and joined on stage at Madison Square Garden in November 1974, Ono was in the audience.^[142]^[142] Although Lennon would later claim he had no idea she was there, it was he who arranged for her seats.

In December 1974, Harrison was in New York on the Dark Horse tour, and Lennon agreed to join him on stage, but they had an argument over Lennon's refusal to sign the agreement that would legally dissolve The Beatles partnership, which was meant to be at New York's Plaza Hotel on 19 December 1974. Lennon finally signed the papers in Walt Disney World in Florida, while on holiday there with Pang and Julian.^[140] In January 1975, Lennon co-wrote and recorded "Fame" with David Bowie and Carlos Alomar which became Bowie's first U.S. #1 hit (in September).^[143]

On 31 January 1975, the Lennons reunited and, on 9 October 1975 – Lennon's 35th birthday – Ono gave birth to a son, Sean Ono Lennon. Lennon didn't release any new records until 1980. He cited many reasons for his hiatus from music, primarily that he had been under contract since he was 22 years old and he was now free, rock 'n' roll was not as interesting as it once was, and his limited relationship with his first son influenced his decision to become a family man.^[34]

Political activism

Lennon and Ono used their honeymoon at the Amsterdam Hilton, in March 1969, as a "Bed-in for Peace" that attracted worldwide media coverage.^[110] At the second "Bed-in" in Montreal, in June 1969, they recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in their hotel room at The Queen Elizabeth. The song was sung by a quarter million demonstrators in Washington, D.C. at the second Vietnam Moratorium Day, on 15 October 1969.^[144] When Lennon and Ono moved to New York City in August 1971, they befriended peace activists Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. Lennon performed at the "Free John Sinclair" concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on 10 December 1971.^[145] Sinclair was an antiwar activist and poet who was serving ten years in state prison for selling two joints of marijuana to an undercover policeman.^[146] Lennon and Ono appeared on stage with David Peel, Phil Ochs, Stevie Wonder and other musicians, plus antiwar radical and Yippie member, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers^[147]. Lennon performed the song, "John Sinclair", which he had just written, calling on the authorities to "Let him be, set him free, let him be like you and me". Some 20,000 people attended the rally, and three days after the concert the State of Michigan released Sinclair from prison.^[148] This performance was released on the two-CD John Lennon AnthologyAcoustic (2004). Lennon later performed the song on the David Frost^[145] (1998) and the album Show accompanied by Ono and Jerry Rubin.

In 1972, the Nixon Administration tried to have Lennon deported from the U.S., as Richard Nixon believed that Lennon's support for George McGovern could lose him the next election.^[149] Republican Senator Strom Thurmond suggested, in a February 1972 memo, that "deportation would be a strategic counter-measure" against Lennon.^[150] The next month the Immigration and Naturalization Service began deportation proceedings against Lennon, arguing that his 1968 misdemeanor conviction for cannabis possession in London had made him ineligible for admission to the U.S. Lennon spent the next four years in deportation hearings.^[86] While his deportation battle continued, Lennon appeared at rallies in New York City and on TV shows, including a week hosting the Mike Douglas Show in February 1972, where Jerry Rubin and Bobby Seale appeared as his guests.^[151]

On 23 March 1973, Lennon was ordered to leave the U.S. within 60 days, while Ono was granted permanent residence.^[152] In response, Lennon and Ono held a press conference at the New York chapter of the American Bar Association on 1 April 1973 to announce the formation of the conceptual state of "Nutopia"; a place with "no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people", and all of its inhabitants would be ambassadors.^[153] The Lennons asked for political asylum in the U.S. while waving the white flag of Nutopia; two white handkerchiefs. The entire press conference can be seen in the 2006 documentary released by Lions Gate, The U.S. vs. John Lennon.^[154] In June 1973, Lennon and Ono made their last political statement by attending the Watergate hearings in Washington, D.C.^[155]

Lennon's order of deportation was overturned in 1975. After Lennon’s death, historian Jon Wiener filed a Freedom of Information request for FBI files on Lennon.^[156] The FBI admitted it had 281 pages in its files on Lennon but refused to release most of them, claiming they were national security documents. In 1983, Wiener sued the FBI with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The case went to the Supreme Court^[157] The story is told in the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon, by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, released in theaters in September 2006, and on DVD in February 2007. The final 10 documents in Lennon's FBI file were released in December 2006.^[158] before the FBI settled out of court in 1997; releasing all but 10 of the contested documents.

In 1976, Lennon's U.S. immigration status was finally resolved favorably, and he received his green card. Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, showed little interest in continuing the battle. When Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as president on 19 January 1977, Lennon and Ono attended the Inaugural Ball.^[159]^[160]

Drugs, meditation and primal therapy

Lennon was first given drugs in Hamburg, Germany, as The Beatles had to play long sets and were often given Preludin by customers or by Astrid Kirchherr, whose mother bought them for her.^[161] McCartney would usually take one, but Lennon would often take four or five, and later took amphetamines called "Black Bombers" and "Purple Hearts".^[161]^[162] The Beatles first smoked cannabis with Bob Dylan in New York in 1964; Dylan mistakenly interpreted the lyric "I can't hide" from "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as "I get high" and presumed that The Beatles were already familiar with the drug.^[163]^[164] Lennon later said The Beatles "smoked marijuana for breakfast", and that other people had trouble talking to them, because they were sniggering all the time.^[34]

In a 1995 interview, Cynthia said there were problems throughout their marriage because of the pressures of The Beatles' fame and rigorous touring, and because of Lennon's increasing use of drugs.^[165] During his first marriage Lennon tried LSD, and read The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner, which was based on, and quoted from, the Tibetan Book of the Dead.^[166]^[167] He later used heroin, and wrote about the withdrawal symptoms he experienced in "Cold Turkey".^[168] On 24 August 1967, The Beatles met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the London Hilton, and later went to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend a weekend of personal instruction.^[169] The time Lennon later spent in India at the Maharishi's ashram was productive, as most of the songs recorded for The White Album, and Abbey Road were composed there by Lennon and McCartney.^[170] Although later turning against the Maharishi, Lennon still advocated meditation when interviewed.^[171]Greece, leaving Lennon at Kenwood with Pete Shotton; his school friend and so-called assistant. In 1968, Cynthia Lennon went on vacation to

In 1970, Lennon and Ono went through primal therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov in Los Angeles, California. The therapy consisted of releasing emotional pain from early childhood. Lennon and Ono ended the sessions before completing a full course of therapy, as Ono constantly argued with Janov.^[34]^[172] The song "Mother" is based on Lennon's experience and understanding of Primal Therapy.^[173]

Humour

Each of The Beatles was known, especially during Beatlemania, for their sense of humour. During live performances of "I Want to Hold Your Hand", Lennon often changed the words to "I want to hold your gland", because of the difficulty hearing the vocals above the noise of screaming audiences. At the Royal Variety Show in 1963 — in the presence of members of the British royalty — Lennon told the audience, "For our next song, I'd like to ask for your help. For the people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands... and the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewellery."^[174] Lennon put on weight during 1965, and later said, "It was my fat-Elvis period."^[175]

During the "Get Back" sessions, Lennon introduced "Dig a Pony" by shouting, "I dig a pygmy Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids; phase one in which Doris gets her oats!" The phrase was later edited to precede "Two of Us" on Let It Be. Lennon often counter-pointed McCartney's upbeat lyrics, as in "Getting Better": by

McCartney: "I've got to admit it's getting better, a little better, all the time."

Lennon: "Can't get no worse."^[176]

Lennon appeared in various television comedy shows, such as the Morecambe and Wise show with the rest of The Beatles, and played a doorman in a gents' toilet in Not Only But Also.^[177]^[178] Lennon's humour could also be cruel, such as when Brian Epstein asked Lennon for a title for Epstein's autobiography, and Lennon answered: "How about Queer Jew ?"^[179] When Lennon heard that the title of the book would be A Cellarful of Noise, he said to a friend: "More like A Cellarful of Boys."^[179]

Writing and art

Lennon started writing and drawing early in life, with encouragement from his Uncle George, and created his own comic strip in his school book, which he called "The Daily Howl". It contained drawings—frequently of crippled people—and satirical writings, often with a play on words. Lennon wrote a weather report saying, "Tomorrow will be Muggy, followed by Tuggy, Wuggy and Thuggy."^[180]^[181] He often drew caricatures of his school teachers, and when he was in Hamburg he sent love poems and drawings to Cynthia (his future wife) once writing, "Our first Christmas, I love you, yes, yes, yes."^[182]

When Liverpool's Mersey Beat magazine was founded, Lennon was asked to contribute. His first piece was about the origins of The Beatles: "A man appeared on a flaming pie, and said you are Beatles with an 'A'."^[183] The first two books by Lennon are examples of literary nonsense: In His Own Write (1964) and A Spaniard in the Works (1965). Ono later allowed the works of Lennon to be published after his death: Skywriting by Word of Mouth (1986) and Ai: Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes: A Personal Sketchbook (1992), which contained Lennon's drawings illustrating the definitions of Japanese words. Real Love: The Drawings for SeanThe Beatles Anthology included writing and drawings by Lennon.^[184]Stanley Unwin.^[185] followed in 1999. Lennon's love of nonsense language was influenced by his appreciation for

Pseudonyms

Throughout his solo career, Lennon appeared on his own albums (as well as those of other artists, like Elton John) under such pseudonyms as Dr Winston O'Boogie, Mel Torment (a play on singer Mel Tormé), and The Reverend Fred Gherkin. He and Ono (as Ada Gherkin "ate a gherkin", and other sobriquets) also travelled under such names, thus avoiding unwanted public attention.^[186]

Lennon also named his session musicians under various different band names during his career, including:

The Plastic Ono Band (for the Plastic Ono Band album)
The Plastic Ono Band with the Flux Fiddlers (Imagine)
The Plastic U.F.Ono Band (Mind Games)
The Plastic Ono Nuclear Band/Little Big Horns and the Philharmanic Orchestrange (Walls and Bridges)

Drag

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Death

On the night of 8 December 1980, at around 10:49 p.m., Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times (the fifth shot missed) in the entrance of the Dakota. Earlier that evening, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman^[187] who had been stalking Lennon since October.

Lennon was taken to the Emergency Room of nearby Roosevelt Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:07 p.m. On the following day, Ono issued a statement: "There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean."^[188] Chapman pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life where he remains, having been denied all requests for parole.^[189]^[190]

Lennon's body was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York; his ashes were then kept by Yoko.^[191]^[192]

Three weeks before his death, John Lennon had fired his bodyguard. His reply was that any killer would shoot the bodyguard first. When he was still a Beatle, Lennon was asked how he might die. Lennon replied: “I'll probably be popped off by some loony.“^[193]

Awards with The Beatles

BRIT Awards:

1977: Outstanding contribution to music during the past 25 years.^[194]
1977: Best British band of the past 25 years.^[194]
1977: Best British album of the past 25 years (for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band).^[194]
1983: Outstanding contribution to music.^[194]

Solo career

1982 Grammy Award - Album of the Year (for Double Fantasy)
1982 BRIT Awards - Outstanding contribution to music.^[194]
2002 In 2002, a 100 Greatest Britons BBC poll voted Lennon into eighth place.^[195]
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".^[196]
In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 5 on its list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".^[197]

Discography

Main article: John Lennon discography

See also: The Beatles discography

Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (with Yoko Ono) (1968)
Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions (with Yoko Ono) (1969)
Wedding Album (with Yoko Ono) (1969)
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono) (1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono) (1980)
Milk and Honey (with Yoko Ono) (1984)
Menlove Ave. (1986)

Notes

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^ Grand Jury Indicts Chapman in Lennon Slaying, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1980-12-24, retrieved on 11 December 2008
^ "The Lennon-McCartney Songwriting Partnership" bbc.co.uk, 4 November 2005. bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2 - Retrieved 14 December 2006
^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/greatestsingers/page/5
^ "Liverpool: Beatle Birthplaces". Indiana edu. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
^ "The Liverpool Lennons". lennon.net/familytree. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p24
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p25.
^ ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:37:32) Lennon talking about living at 9 Newcastle Road in Liverpool.
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p27.
^ Cynthia Lennon - “John”. p55.
^ ^a ^b Cynthia Lennon - “John” p56
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p30
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p32.
^ Cynthia Lennon - “John” p40.
^ Cynthia Lennon - “John”. p41.
^ "Lennon’s religion". nndb.com/people. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
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^ ^a ^b Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p45
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^ Miles 1997 p31
^ Keith Badman The Beatles Off The Record p18
^ Miles 1997 p20
^ ^a ^b Cynthia Lennon – “John”. p22.
^ Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p93.
^ Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p97.
^ Cynthia Lennon – “John”. p67.
^ Spitz (2005) p48
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p47
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p93
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Playboy Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono - 1980". john-lennon.com/. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
^ Cynthia Lennon – “John” p46
^ Miles 1997 p38
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^ Miles 1997 p47
^ Miles 1997 p50
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^ Miles 1997 pp74-75
^ Miles 1997 p72
^ Miles 1997 pp72-73
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” p79
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” p97
^ MilesPage84
^ ^a ^b Cynthia Lennon “John” p109
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006 p119
^ Miles 1997 p57
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p330
^ Miles 1997 p93
^ Cross “The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record“ 2005
^ Miles 1997 p149
^ Miles 1997 p171
^ Spizer, The Beatles Are Coming!, 498 Production, 2003 pg.11
^ Spizer, The Beatles Are Coming!, 498 Production, 2003 pg.8
^ Spizer, The Beatles Are Coming!, 498 Production, 2003 pg.45
^ John Winston Lennon, Coleman, Sidjwick & Jackson 1984, pg 239-240
^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43667, p. 5488, 4 June 1965. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
^ John Winston Lennon, Coleman, Sidjwick & Jackson 1984, pg 288
^ Beatles Anthology, Chronicle, 2000 pg. 171
^ ^a ^b Cleave, Maureen. "The John Lennon I Knew". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Rawlings, Terry (2002-10-03). "Then, Now and Rare British Beat 1960-1969". Omnibus Press. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ Bielen, Kenneth (2000-05-11). "The Lyrics of Civility". Garland Publishing. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
^ Miles 1997 pp293-295
^ ""Vatican forgives John Lennon for Jesus quip"". msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p809
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p853
^ John Lennon 1987 Skywriting by Word of Mouth : And Other Writings, Including "The Ballad of John and Yoko" Harper Paperbacks
^ "John Lennon season on BBC Radio to mark the 25th anniversary of his death". bbc.co.uk/pressoffice. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Russell, Ethan. "The "Supergroup" - also known as "The Dirty Mac"". Ethan Russell 1967-2004. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ Fawcett, One Day At A Time, Evergreen 1976, pg 185
^ John Ono Lennon, Coleman, Sidjwick & Jackson 1984, pg 279
^ John Ono Lennon, Coleman, Sidjwick & Jackson 1984, pg 48-49
^ Schechter “The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record“ 2005 p106
^ "Lennon - Imagine Review". superseventies.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
^ "Lennon and McCartney in Melody Maker magazine". geocities.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Lennon's singles". allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b Sayle, Murray (2000-11-18). "The Importance of Yoko Ono". jpri.org/publications. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Lennon filmmakers credit campaign". BBC. 2006-10-12. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ ""Was there a high-level MI5 agent in the British Workers Revolutionary Party?"". wsws.org/articles. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "DVD Reviews, The Dick Cavett Show". dvdverdict.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Deming, Mark (2008-03-02). "John Lennon: Live in New York City (film)". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
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^ "Goodnight Vienna". jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
^ Calkin, Graham (2007-02-19). "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night b/w Beef Jerky". Graham Calkin. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
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^ Buskin, Richard. "The Death of John Lennon's Father, Alf Lennon". How Stuff Works. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ Tannenbaum, John & Yoko: A New York Love Story
^ Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, Madinger/Easter, 44.1 Publishing, 2000
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^ Clarke Jr., John (2007-01-09). "Whatever gets you through the storm". Paste Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
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^ Cynthia Lennon – “John” pp25-26.
^ Cynthia Lennon – “John” p27
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^ Cynthia Lennon “John”. p122.
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” pp128-129
^ Cynthia Lennon, John, pg 155
^ "The Hours and Times". IMDb. 1991. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Williams, Precious (2002-05-19). "Eternal Flame". scotsman.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Cynthia Lennon: A Twist of Lennon, Avon 1978 p182
^ Cynthia Lennon Interview, Imagine, Documentary, Warner Brothers 1988
^ Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p464
^ Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p467
^ Pang, Instamatic Karma, Back cover quote from Cynthia and Julian Lennon
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006 pp336-340
^ Gerson, Ben (1974-11-21). "Wall and Bridges LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006 p344
^ "Memorabilia: The Julian Lennon Collection". Lennon.net. Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006 p-345
^ "Sean Lennon's discography". rollingstone.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "The Will of John Lennon". courttv.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
^ Peel "The Unknown Paul McCartney" 2002
^ "Indica Gallery Meeting". arts.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
^ "John Cage biog". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ Miles 1997 p272
^ "Unfinished Music, No. 1: Two Virgins". Rykodisc. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ Liner notes for Two Virgins CD
^ Cynthia Lennon: A Twist of Lennon, Avon 1978 p183
^ [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/pob41.html "1968 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone, London W1"]. ntl world. Retrieved on 2008-11-02.
^ "John Lennon, MBE". The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ "Lennon returns MBE". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
^ "Lennon gets MBE in 1965". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
^ Kim, Ruehl (2007-02-19). "Top 10 Classic Protest Songs". About.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ Cross “The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record” 2005 p322
^ Ray Coleman: John Ono Lennon (Vol II), Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd., pg64
^ Geoff Emerick, Here There and Everywhere: My Life Recording The Music of The Beatles, Gotham Books, 2006,pp279-280
^ "John Lennon’s Homes, Part Three – New York City". ntlworld. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
^ "You say you want a revelation?". lennonrevealed.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b Pang "Instamatic Karma" 2008
^ "UFO sightings and Lennon". uforth.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b Pang, May (1983). Loving John. Warner Books (Paperback). ISBN 978-0446379168.
^ "David Bowie". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. rockhall.com. 1996. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
^ "1969: Millions march in US Vietnam Moratorium". bbc.co.uk/onthisday. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
^ ^a ^b "John Lennon on Television". homepage.ntlworld.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
^ "The Life and Times of John Sinclair". movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/john-sinclair-poster/CAU711210-PO.html
^ Sinclair, John (2003-05-12). "John Sinclair's Bio". John Sinclair. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Judge releases Lennon letters". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
^ "The US vs. John Lennon". thenation.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
^ "Lennon and Rubin on the Mike Douglas show". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
^ "Nostalgia Central - important dates 1973". nostalgiacentral.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Declaration of Nutopia". joinnutopia.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "The US Versus John Lennon". theusversusjohnlennon.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Mind Games John Lennon, plus Watergate". superseventies.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Wiener “Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files“ 1999
^ "Lennon's FBI files". LennonFBIfiles.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Lennon Files". lennonfbifiles.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "John Lennon Biography". Active Musician. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ "Inaugural History (page 20)". CBS News. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ ^a ^b Miles 1997 pp66-67.
^ Cynthia – “John” p76
^ Miles 1997 p185
^ Miles 1997 pp188-189
^ "Cynthia Lennon interview with Linda McDermott, Liverpool Echo, 17 February 1995". merseyworld.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Pied Piper Of Psychedelic 60's, Dies at 75 – 1 June 1996". nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
^ "The first English language translation of the famous Tibetan death text". summum.us. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
^ Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p570
^ "Beatles in Bangor". bbc.co.uk/wales. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
^ Miles 1997 p397
^ "Lennon & McCartney Interview, The Tonight Show". geocities.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
^ "John Lennon and Primal therapy". ntlworld.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
^ "”Mother” by John Lennon". Song Facts. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
^ "What will Liz think of these?". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Lawrence John Lennon: In His Own Words 2005 p62
^ Leonard “The Beatles - Complete Scores” 1993 p310
^ Stephen Hulse, Laurence Marcus. "The Morecambe and Wise Show". Television Heaven. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ Stephen R. Hulse, Laurence Marcus. "Not Only… But Also…". Television Heaven. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
^ ^a ^b Coleman - Lennon: The Definitive Biography p23.
^ "The Daily Howl - Bill Harry, Mersey Beat". triumphpc.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Spitz - The Beatles: The Biography p31
^ Cynthia Lennon – “John” p35
^ Cynthia Lennon – “John” pp98-99
^ "The Lennon Library". Ntl World. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
^ "Stanley Unwin". Bikwil. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
^ superseventies.com "Walls And Bridges review and pseudonyms". superseventies.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Goresh Biog". Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Cave, Damien; Matt Diehl, Gavin Edwards, Jenny Eliscu, David Fricke, Lauren Gitlin, Matt Hendrickson, Kirk Miller, Austin Scaggs, and Rob Sheffield (2004-06-24). "Grieving for a Fallen Hero". THE 50th Anniversary of Rock: The Moments 1980. The world mourns the death of John Lennon 8 December 1980 (Rolling Stone) (951): p. 140. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
^ "Lennon killer denied parole" (HTML). CNN.com. 10/5/2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
^ "Lennon killer fails in parole bid". Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Find A Grave". Find a Grave. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
^ "Celebrity Tombstones Across America". Morbid Curiosity. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ http://oldies.about.com/od/oldieshistory/f/lennondeath.htm
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "The Brit Awards". Every Hit. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
^ "100 great British heroes". BBC. 2002-08-21. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone. 2008-04-12. Retrieved on 2004-03-24.
^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2008-11-12. Retrieved on 2004-11-12.

References

Badman, Keith (1999). The Beatles After the Breakup 1970-2000: A day-by-day diary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-7520-5.
Coleman, Ray (1989). Lennon: the definitive biography. Harper. ISBN 0-330-48330-7.
Ray Connolly (1981). John Lennon 1940-1980. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0006364054.
Leonard, Hal (1993). The Beatles - Complete Scores. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0793518326.
Lennon, Ono, Sheff and Olson (2005). Lennon Remembers: The Complete Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970. Putnam. ISBN 0-87223-705-2.
Lennon, and Wenner, Jann (1971). Lennon Remembers: The Complete Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970. Straight Arrow Books. ISBN 1859846009.
Lennon, Cynthia (2005). John. Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-307-33855-X.
Miles, Barry (1997). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.
Madinger, Chip and Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. 44.1 Productions. ISBN 0615117244.
Pang, May (1983). Loving John. Warner Books. ISBN 978-0446379168.
Pang, May (2008). Instamatic Karma: Photographs of John Lennon. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312377410.
Peel, Ian (2002). The Unknown Paul McCartney. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 1-903111-36-6.
Schechter, Danny (1997). The More You Watch, the Less You Know: News Wars/Submerged Hopes/Media Adventures. Seven Stories Press. ISBN 1888363800.
Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. Little, Brown and Company (New York). ISBN 1-84513-160-6.
Spizer, Bruce (2003). The Beatles Are Coming!: The Birth of Beatlemania in America. Four Ninety-Eight Productions. ISBN 978-0966264982.
The Beatles (2003). The Beatles Anthology (DVD). Apple records. ASIN: B00008GKEG (Bar Code: 24349 29699).
Wiener, Jon (1995). Come Together: John Lennon In His Time. Random House. ISBN 978-0571135769.
Wiener, Jon (1999). Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files. Univ. of California Press. ISBN 0520222466.

External links

John Lennon at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
John Lennon at Find A Grave
John Lennon discography at MusicBrainz
John Lennon at the Internet Movie Database
The Liverpool Lennons
BBC Lennon Site
Lennon FBI files
"John Lennon: Ringo's Right, We Can't Tour Again" 1969 article and interview focusing on John's extra-Beatles work with Yoko (reprinted by Crawdaddy! in 2007).

Lennon and Chapman, A memorial statue of Lennon in Havana, Cuba, The Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland

Death of John Lennon

John Lennon was an English rock musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism. He was shot four times (the fifth shot missed) by Mark David Chapman in the entrance hallway of the building where he lived, The Dakota, on December 8th, 1980; Lennon had just returned from the Record Plant Studio with his wife, Yoko Ono.

Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where it was stated that nobody could have lived for very long after sustaining such injuries. Even though Lennon arrived at the hospital with virtually no pulse a team of doctors attempted desperately to save his life using various medical procedures. Blood transfusions as well as heart massage was attempted in an effort to save his life. Shortly after local news stations reported Lennon's death, crowds gathered at Roosevelt Hospital and in front of The Dakota. Lennon's cremation was on December 10th, 1980, at the Ferncliff Cemetery inHartsdale, New York; the ashes were given to Ono, who decided not to hold a funeral for him.

In 2000, the John Lennon Museum was opened at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Saitama, Japan, and two years later, Liverpool renamed its airport to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and adopted the motto "Above us only sky". On October 9th, 2007, which would have been Lennon's 67th birthday, Ono dedicated a memorial called the Imagine Peace Tower, located on the island of Videy, Iceland. Each year, between October 9th and December 8th, it projects a vertical beam of light high into the sky.

Day of the murder

On the morning of December 8, 1980, photographer Annie Leibovitz went to Ono and Lennon's apartment to do a photo shoot for Rolling Stone. She had promised Lennon a photo would make the cover, but initially tried to get a picture with just Lennon alone.^[1] Leibovitz recalled that "nobody wanted [Ono] on the cover".^[2] Lennon insisted that both he and his wife be on the cover, and after shooting the pictures, Annie Leibovitz left their apartment. After the photo shoot Lennon gave what would be his last ever interview to San Francisco DJ Dave Sholin.^[3] At 5:00 p.m., Lennon and Ono left their apartment to mix the track "Walking on Thin Ice" at Record Plant Studio.^[4]

Chapman

Main article: Mark David Chapman
As Lennon and Ono walked to their limousine, they were approached by several people seeking autographs, among them Chapman.^[5] He silently handed Lennon a copy of Double Fantasy, and Lennon obliged with an autograph.^[5] After signing the album Lennon asked him, "Is this all you want?" Chapman nodded in agreement. Photographer and Lennon fan Paul Goresh snapped photos of them both.^[6] The Lennons spent several hours at the Record Plant studio before returning to the Dakota at about 10:50 p.m. Lennon decided against eating out so he could be home in time to say goodnight to five-year-old son Sean before he went to sleep. They exited their limousine on 72nd Street, even though the car could have been driven into the more secure courtyard.^[7]

The Dakota's doorman, Jose Perdomo, and a cab driver saw Chapman standing in the shadows by the archway.^[8] Ono walked ahead of Lennon and into the reception area. As Lennon passed by, Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets at Lennon from a Charter Arms .38 Special revolver.^[9] There was an isolated newspaper claim at the time that, before firing, Chapman called out "Mr. Lennon" and dropped into a "combat stance",^[10] but this is not stated in court hearings or witness interviews. Chapman has said he did not remember calling out Lennon's name before he shot him.^[11] One shot missed, passing over Lennon's head and hitting a window of the Dakota building. However, two shots struck Lennon in the left side of his back and two more penetrated his left shoulder. All four bullets inflicted severe gunshot wounds, with at least one of them piercing Lennon's aorta.^[12] Lennon staggered up six steps to the security/reception area, said, "I'm shot," and collapsed. Concierge Jay Hastings covered Lennon with his uniform, and removed his glasses; he then summoned the police. Outside, doorman Perdomo shook the gun out of Chapman's hand then kicked it across the sidewalk.^[8] Chapman then removed his coat and hat in preparation for the police arrival to show he was not carrying any concealed weapons and sat down on the sidewalk. Doorman Perdomo shouted at Chapman, "Do you know what you've done?", to which Chapman calmly replied, "Yes, I just shot John Lennon." The first policemen to arrive were Steve Spiro and Peter Cullen, who were at 72nd Street and Broadway when they heard a report of shots fired at the Dakota. The officers found Chapman sitting "very calmly" on the sidewalk. They reported that Chapman had dropped the revolver to the ground, and was holding a paperback book, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.^[13] Chapman had scribbled a message on the book's inside front cover: "This is my statement. -- The Catcher in the Rye." He would later claim that his life mirrored that of Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist of the book.

The second team, Officers Bill Gamble and James Moran, arrived a few minutes later. They immediately carried Lennon into their squad car and rushed him to Roosevelt Hospital. Officer Moran said they placed Lennon on the back seat.^[14] Moran asked, "Do you know who you are?". There are conflicting accounts on what happened next. In one account, Lennon nodded slightly and tried to speak, but could only manage to make a gurgling sound, and lost consciousness shortly thereafter.^[15]

Death
Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival in the emergency room at the Roosevelt Hospital at 11:07 p.m. by Dr. Stephan Lynn. The cause of death was reported as hypovolemic shock, caused by the loss of more than 80% ofblood volume. Dr. Elliott M. Gross, the Chief Medical Examiner, said that no one could have lived more than a few minutes with such multiple bullet injuries. As Lennon was shot four times using hollow-point bullets, which expand upon entering the target and severely disrupt more tissue as it travels through the target, Lennon's affected organs were virtually destroyed upon impact. Ono, crying "Oh no, no, no, no... tell me it's not true," was taken to Roosevelt Hospital and led away in shock after she learned that her husband was dead.^[16] The following day, Ono issued a statement: "There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean."^[16] Lennon was cremated on 10 December 1980, at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, and his ashes were given to Ono.^[17]^[18] Chapman pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life.^[19] He is still in prison, having been denied parole five times.^[20]^[21]

Response

Shortly after local news stations reported the shooting, crowds gathered at Roosevelt Hospital and in front of the Dakota, reciting prayers, singing Lennon's songs and burning candles.^[22]

After hearing the news sent by ABC News chief Roone Arledge, sports announcer Howard Cosell, who had briefly interviewed Lennon on Monday Night Football in 1974, announced the news of Lennon's murder during a televised football game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins:

“

This, we have to say it, remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy, confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all The Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to the Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival.

”

NBC announced the news during The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show was interrupted by an anonymous announcer reading the news bulletin; the show then resumed.

CBS broke the news during regular programming on the network, with Walter Cronkite and CBS News reporters announcing the news to viewers. Later that evening, Cronkite confirmed Lennon's death, at 11:20 pm.^[23]

When reporters asked Lennon's former Beatles-songwriting partner Paul McCartney for his reaction, McCartney said, "Drag, isn't it?" His response was criticised, but McCartney later stated in a Playboy interview: "I had just finished a whole day in shock and I said, 'It's a drag.' I meant 'drag' in the heaviest sense of the word, you know: 'It's a — DRAG.' But, you know, when you look at that in print, it says, 'Yes, it's a drag.' Matter of fact."^[24]McCartney later said, "John will be remembered for his unique contribution to art, music and world peace."^[24] Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach, flew to New York to comfort Ono.^[25] Harrison later released a tribute song, "All Those Years Ago" which featured background vocals from former bandmatesStarr and McCartney.^[26] McCartney himself also recorded a tribute song for Lennon in his 1982 album, Tug of War, entitled "Here Today."

Lennon's death impacted Harrison more than the other Beatles^{[citation needed]} because Harrison did not get a chance to see Lennon after working with him on several records. Harrison was interviewed for The Beatles Anthology, and when asked about Lennon's death, Harrison said that he received a phone call early in the morning informing him John had been shot and had died. Harrison then dozed off, only to awake later, unsure how to deal with the reality of Lennon's death.^{[citation needed]}

Memorials and tributes

Yoko Ono sent word to the chanting crowd outside the Dakota that their singing had kept her awake; she asked that they re-convene in Central Park the following Sunday for ten minutes of silent prayer.^[27] On 14 December 1980, millions of people around the world responded to Ono's request to pause for ten minutes of silence to remember Lennon.^[28] Thirty thousand gathered in Liverpool, and the largest group—over 100,000—converged on New York's Central Park, close to the scene of the shooting.^[28] Lennon continues to be mourned throughout the world and has been the subject of numerous memorials and tributes, principally New York City's Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden area in Central Park across the street from the Dakota building. Ono later donated $1 million for its maintenance.^[29] It has become a gathering place for tributes on Lennon's birthday and on the anniversary of his death, as well as at other times of mourning, such as after the11 September attacks and following Harrison's death on 29 November 2001.^[27]

Elton John, who had recorded the number-one hit, "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" with Lennon, teamed with his lyricist, Bernie Taupin and recorded a tribute to Lennon, entitled, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)." It appeared on John's 1982 album Jump Up! and peaked at #13 on the US Singles Chart that year.^[30] When John performed the song at a sold-out concert in Madison Square Garden in August of 1982, he was joined on stage by Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon.^[31]

Lennon was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.^[32] In 1994, the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia issued two postage stamps featuring Lennon and Groucho Marx, spoofing Abkhazia's Communist past. These stamps would have normally borne the portraits of Karl Marxand Vladimir Lenin.^[33] On 8 December 2000, Cuba's President, Fidel Castro, unveiled a bronze statue of Lennon in a park in Havana.^[34] In 2000, theJohn Lennon Museum was opened at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Saitama, Japan^[35] and Liverpool renamed its airport to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and adopted the motto "Above us only sky" in 2002.^[36] The 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death was on 8 December 2005.^[37]Celebrations of Lennon's life and music took place in London, New York City, Cleveland, and Seattle. The minor planet 4147, discovered 12 January 1983 by B. A. Skiff at the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory, was named in memory of Lennon.^[38]

On 9 October 2007, Ono dedicated a new memorial called the Imagine Peace Tower, located on the island of Videy, off the coast of Iceland. Each year, between 9 October and 8 December, it projects a vertical beam of light high into the sky.^[39] Every 8 December there is a memorial ceremony in front of the Capitol Records building on Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Many people light candles in front of Lennon's Hollywood Walk of Fame star outside the Capitol Building.^[40] From 28 to 30 September 2007, Durness held the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival which was attended by Julia Baird (Lennon's half-sister) who read from Lennon's writings and her own books, and Stanley Parkes, Lennon's Scottish cousin.^[41] Parkes said, "Me and Julia [Baird] are going to be going to the old family croft to tell stories". Musicians, painters and poets from across the UK performed at the festival.^[42]^[43]

Notes

^ "Hours After This Picture Was Taken John Lennon Was Dead". Guardian Unlimited. 2005-08-12. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
^ Lucas, Dean (2007). "Naked Lennon". Famous Pictures Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
^ Smith, Harry (2005-12-08). "John Lennon Remembered". CBS News. Retrieved on 8 November 2008.
^ "The Last Days of Dead Celebrities". ABC, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
^ ^a ^b "Is That All You Want?". Courtroom Television Network. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
^ Buskin, Richard (2007-07-03). ""John Lennon Encounters Mark David Chapman"". Howstuffworks.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Ledbetter, Les (1980-12-09). John Lennon of Beatles Is Killed. New York Times.
^ ^a ^b "Do It, Do It, Do It!". Courtroom Television Network. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
^ "Police Trace Tangled Path Leading To Lennon's Slaying at the Dakota". elvispelvis.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "Police Trace Tangled Path Leading To Lennon's Slaying at the Dakota" by Paul L. Montgomery, The New York Times, December 10, 1980, pp. A1,B6 (unverified quotes attributed to NYPD Chief of Detectives James T. Sullivan and in turn to an unnamed witness)
^ "I don't recall saying, 'Mr. Lennon'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-08-21.
^ "John Lennon - After The Music". Robert Soliman. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Montgomery, Paul L. (1981-02-09). "Lennon Murder Suspect Preparing Insanity Defense". The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Edwards, David (2005-12-03). "Lennon’s Last Day". Daily Mirror. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
^ "Lennon shot on way to see son". Thestar.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ ^a ^b Cave, Damien; Matt Diehl, Gavin Edwards, Jenny Eliscu, David Fricke, Lauren Gitlin, Matt Hendrickson, Kirk Miller, Austin Scaggs, and Rob Sheffield (2004-06-24). "Grieving for a Fallen Hero". THE 50th Anniversary of Rock: The Moments 1980. The world mourns the death of John Lennon 8 December 1980 (Rolling Stone) (951): p. 140. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
^ Astucia, Salvador (2004-06-22). "John Lennon's Death Certificate". Salvador Astucia. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Seaman, Last Days of John Lennon, pg237
^ "Appendix C: Transcript of competency hearing for Mark David Chapman, 22 June 1981". Salvador Astucia. 2008-02-21.
^ "Lennon killer denied parole". CNN. 2004-05-10. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
^ "Lennon killer fails in parole bid". BBC News. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ Kane, Larry (2007). Lennon Revealed. Running Press. ISBN 0-762-429-666. Cable News Network (CNN) and anchor Kathleen Sullivan was the first to report that Lennon had been shot, and was being rushed to Roosevelt Hospital (his death had not been confirmed).
^ Wiener, Jon. "John Lennon 1940-1980: History Professor Jon Wiener Discusses Lennon’s Politics, FBI Files and Why Richard Nixon Sought to Deport Him". Democracy Now. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ ^a ^b "Paul McCartney 1984 Playboy Interview". The Trustees of Indiana University. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Buskin, Richard (2007-07-03). ""The World Mourns John Lennon's Death"". Howstuffworks.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ "All Those Years Ago". Connolly and Company. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
^ ^a ^b Gentile, Fiorella Dorotea. "The Central Park Vigil, New York, 14 December 1980". Thou Art. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ ^a ^b Clyde Haberman, "Silent Tribute to Lennon's Memory is Observed Throughout the World," The New York Times, 15 December 1980 pA1
^ "Strawberry Fields". New York City Parks. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
^ wikipedia.org
^ songfacts.com
^ "Lifetime Achievement Awards". The Recording Academy. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ Robinson, Ben. "March Marx Magic". Ben Robinson. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ "Once-shunned Lennon now feted in communist Cuba". CNN. 2000-12-08. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ "John Lennon Museum". TAISI Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "Background Information". Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "25th Anniversary of John Lennon’s Death". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "Lennon's planet". cfa.harvard.edu. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
^ "The Imagine Peace Tower". Imagine Peace. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ Wayne, Gary. "Capitol Records Building". Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
^ Chrystall, Margaret (2007-09-22). "Lennon fans come together". Highland News. Retrieved on 2007-12-24.
^ Ross, John (2007-05-19). "Village strikes a chord with Lennon festival". The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
^ "John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness". Scotland homepage. Retrieved on 2007-12-25

References

Badman, Keith (1999). The Beatles After the Breakup 1970-2000: A day-by-day diary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-7520-5.
Seaman, Fred (1991). The Last Days of John Lennon. Birch Lane Press. ISBN 978-1559720847.

External links

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