For millions around the world, it’s a moment they’ll always remember — where they were, what they were doing and how they felt about it — when they heard the news that music superstar John Lennon had been shot dead.
Dec.8 (UPI) — For millions of people around the world, it’s a moment they will always remember — where they were, what they were doing and how they felt about it — when they heard the news that music superstar and former Beatle John Lennon had been gunned down outside his New York City home 40 years ago Tuesday. The date, Dec.8,1980, was a momentous one in the history of music and the annals of crime. Now, four decades later, Lennon’s murder and his life are the subject of much focus. Julian Lennon, John’s first son with wife Cynthia, acknowledged Tuesday’s anniversary by posting a photo of his father and the words, « As Time Goes By… » Son Sean Lennon, who was just 5 and inside their home at the Dakota at the time of the shooting, simply posted a photo of himself and his father and mother, singer Yoko Ono. « We all had to say goodbye to John peace and love John, » former Beatles drummer and musician Ringo Starr said in a tweet Tuesday, with a photo of him and Lennon. « I’m asking every music radio station in the world sometime today play ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’ Peace and love. » « ‘Imagine all the people living life in peace,’ tweeted Lennon’s official Twitter account. « Please share your tributes for John using the hashtag #JohnLennon. » Mourners will pay tribute to Lennon on Tuesday at his former home, the Dakota in Manhattan, which is also where he was shot by assassin Mark David Chapman. A few hours before he was shot, Lennon signed a copy of his album Double Fantasy for Chapman, a former fan who grew disillusioned with the singer over his perceived materialism and lack of religious faith. That album, in fact, to which Lennon signed his name, and the year « 1980 » — something fans and historians say he rarely ever included on his autographs — will soon sell at auction and is expected to fetch more than $1 million. New York City’s WABC-TV is streaming a new documentary about Lennon’s death, called Eyewitness to the Death of John Lennon.
