Remembering John Lennon

Thursday marks the 31-year anniversary of the death of John Lennon. The legendary singer-songwriter was shot and killed Dec. 8, 1980, at age 40 in New York by Mark David Chapmanat the entrance to the building where he lived. His death came just three weeks after the release of his album Double Fantasy, which marked the first album for Lennon since the birth of his son in 1975. Three weeks after his death, with the entire rock world still in disbelief and mourning, “(Just Like) Starting Over” (from Double Fantasy) hit #1.

Lennon was born Oct. 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England. His first band, the Quarrymen, evolved into what became the Beatles in 1960. He and fellow band member Paul McCartneywould go on to form one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century, writing most of the group’s hits.

Lennon’s marriage to Japanese artist Yoko Ono in 1969 played a part in the disintegration of the Beatles a decade after the band’s formation. He went on to have a successful solo career, with hits including „Mother,“ „Give Peace a Chance“ and „Imagine.“

During the early Seventies, Lennon fought the U.S. government to avoid deportation – a campaign of harassment by Nixon-era conservatives that officially ended when Lennon was issued a green card in 1976 – and came to love his adopted city of New York. In 1974, Lennon had his first Number One single with the release of „Whatever Gets You Thru the Night“ (Walls and Bridges, 1974), which featured Elton John on backing vocals, piano and organ. On November 28, 1974, Elton John cajoled Lennon into joining him onstage at Madison Square Garden, where they performed „Whatever Gets You Thru the Night,“ „Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“ and „I Saw Her Standing There.“ It would be Lennon’s last public performance.