On the 40th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, numerous people gathered in New York today at the memorial for the former Beatles singer in Central Park. At the “Imagine” mosaic on the floor of the “Strawberry Fields” memorial set up by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, many people laid flowers and pictures, and musicians played Beatles songs.
Right around the corner on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the Dakota apartment complex, in front of which Lennon was shot on December 8, 1980 at the age of only 40 – and where Yoko Ono still lives today.
The news of the death of Lennon – a cult music figure and avowed pacifist – had caused shock and horror worldwide in 1980. His killer, then 25-year-old Mark David Chapman, was sentenced to “20 years to life” in prison for the crime and has been in custody ever since.
–
–
