John Lennon in 1975.Photo:Rowland Scherman/Getty
Rowland Scherman/Getty
John Lennonleft an immeasurable mark on the world, both in life anddeath.
The musician, who is widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, rose to fame as a member ofThe Beatlesand enjoyed a prolific solo career after thegroup disbandedin 1969. Sadly, his life was cut short: He was shot and killed in front of his residence, the Dakota, in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980.
The killer,Mark David Chapman, confessed at the scene of the crime. He later told a parole board that he was a Beatles fan “seeking fame.” “I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil,” he said in September 2022. “I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life.”
“I remembered him as a kid — goofy, funny, sarcastic, charming,” Julian told PEOPLE after watching the 2021 documentary seriesThe Beatles: Get Back. “I fell in love with him again because that was the guy I remember before it all went pear-shaped.”
Lennon’s former bandmatePaul McCartneyalso revealed that the “Imagine” singer oncepondered how he would be remembered postmortem.
“I remember him saying to me, ‘Paul, I worry about how people are going to remember me when I die,’ and it kind of shocked me,” McCartney recalled on an episode of his iHeart Radio podcast,McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, in 2023. “I said ‘OK, hold on, just hold it right there. People are going to think you were great, you’ve already done enough work to demonstrate that.’ ”
Here’s what to know about John Lennon’s death.
How did John Lennon die?
John Lennon in 1973.Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
According to the autopsy, two bullets struck Lennon’s left lung before exiting his chest. One bullet that entered through his shoulder hit his left arm bone while the other punctured his left lung before becoming lodged in his neck.
When did John Lennon die?
“Death occurred within a very short time,” Gross said two days later, noting that Lennon was “essentially pulseless” when he arrived at the hospital.
Where did John Lennon die?
The exterior of the Dakota, an apartment building in Manhattan.Arnaldo Magnani/Liaison/Getty
Arnaldo Magnani/Liaison/Getty
How old was John Lennon when he died?
Lennon was 40 years old when he was murdered, having recently celebrated his birthday on Oct. 9.
Who killed John Lennon?
John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman.Bureau of Prisons/Getty
Bureau of Prisons/Getty
Longtime Beatles fan Mark David Chapman, an out-of-work security guard living in Hawaii, pleaded guilty to shooting Lennon in June 1981. He reportedly confessed just moments after the incident, telling the panicked doorman, “I just shot John Lennon,” according toTheWashington Post.
Chapman and Lennon had crossed paths earlier in the day when the Beatles fan obtained the artist’s autograph on a copy of the albumDouble Fantasy. The Hawaii native had bought the gun three months prior and traveled to New York City to commit the crime.
He added, “I assassinated him … because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason.”
What did John Lennon do on the day of his death?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono in November 1980.Jack Mitchell/Getty
Jack Mitchell/Getty
On the day of his death, Lennon and Ono shot a cover forRolling Stonewith famed photographerAnnie Leibovitz, who took photos of the couple in their N.Y.C. home. (Three days earlier,Rolling Stone’s Jonathan Cott interviewed Lennon for more than nine hours; their conversation was not published in full until 2010.)
That day, Lennon also sat down for an interview with RKO Radio before leaving for the Record Plant, a recording studio in N.Y.C.
Prior to his departure, he signed a copy of his albumDouble Fantasyfor Chapman outside of the Dakota. Another fan, photographer Paul Goresh, captured a photo of Lennon next to Chapman. These would be the last photos taken of the musician, and Ono later asked Goresh for the photos, he recalled toNJ.comin 2015.
“Somehow that photo was harder for me to look at than the death photo,” Ono later wrote to fans inTheNew York TimesandTheWashington Post. “John was in a hurry that afternoon. He did not have to give his autograph but he did, while the man watched him, the man who was to betray John later.”
Who was with John Lennon when he died?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1968.Susan Wood/Getty
Susan Wood/Getty
Ono was with Lennon at the time of his death. According toTheWashington Post, the couple pulled up to the Dakota in a limousine and exited together before walking toward the doorway of their building. Lennon turned back when he heard someone calling his name, at which point he was shot.
“When John fell right beside me, I felt like we were in a guerilla war, not knowing who or where the enemy was,” Ono later wrote.
What were John Lennon’s last words?
Yoko Ono and John Lennon with his son Julian in 1968.Bettman
Bettman
Witnesses have claimed that Lennon’s last words were “I’m shot,” said just moments before the former Beatle collapsed.
His last words to his widow were more tender, however. Ono told BBC Radio 4’sDesert Island Discsthat on the way home from the studio, she had suggested grabbing dinner before returning home, but Lennon replied, “No, let’s go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep.”
How did the public react to John Lennon’s death?
John Lennon’s memorial “Strawberry Fields.".Ken Cedeno/Corbis/Getty
Ken Cedeno/Corbis/Getty
After Lennon’s death, fans congregated outside of his residence. As one man who showed up to the Dakota toldNPR: “I took it … as a personal loss. The man changed my life, you know, and I just had to come here to make sure it’s true. I don’t even know why I’m standing here. It’s amazing. I just can’t believe it.”
A silent vigil was also held in Lennon’s honor on Dec. 15, 1980; Ono invited the public to participate “from wherever” they were at the time. Around 100,000 people turned up to honor the Beatle together in N.Y.C.’s Central Park, according toTheWashington Post. Another 2,000 gathered in Chicago, and a memorial concert for 30,000 was held in Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool, England.
A memorial titled “Strawberry Fields” was later placed in Central Park.
What legacy did John Lennon leave behind?
John Lennon in 1966.Keystone/Getty
Keystone/Getty
In addition to his many musical accolades — Lennon himself has sevenGrammys, including a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Beatles remain the best-selling group of all time — he made a lasting impression on his loved ones.
“When John died, itwas so difficult,” bandmate McCartney said in December 2022. “It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special.”
In addition to the copious tributes and memorials established in his name, in 1997 Ono created the John Lennon Award withthe BMI Foundation, which offers scholarships to aspiring songwriters and composers.
Lennon’s legacy also lives on through his two sons, Julian and Sean Lennon, who continueto honorhis memory in their own music; his wife Ono; and his remaining bandmates, McCartney andRingo Starr. (George Harrisondied of lung cancer in 2001.)
Where is John Lennon’s killer now?
Mark David Chapman in 2010.Kypros/Getty
Kypros/Getty
Chapman has been in prison since he was arrested after the shooting. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June 1981 and was sentenced to 20 years to life two months later. In September 2022, he wasdenied parolefor the 12th time.
Ono has opposed Chapman’s release over the years. In 2015, she toldThe Daily Beast, “He did it once, he could do it again, to somebody else. It could be me, it could be Sean, it could be anybody, so there is that concern.”
Chapman will be eligible for parole in 2024.
source: people.com
