Remembering John Lennon: Forty-Two Years Ago On The Anniversary Of His Death (9 Oct 1940 – 8 Dec 1980)
On the evening of 8 December 1980, English musician John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles, was shot and fatally wounded in the archway of The Dakota, his residence in New York City. His killer was Mark David Chapman, an American Beatles fan who was incensed by Lennon’s lavish lifestyle and his 1966 comment that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”. Chapman said he was inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, a “phony-killer” who despises hypocrisy.
Chapman planned the killing over several months and waited for Lennon at The Dakota on the morning of 8 December. Early in the evening, Chapman met Lennon, who signed his copy of the album Double Fantasy and subsequently left for a recording session at the Record Plant. Later that night, Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, returned to The Dakota. As Lennon and Ono approached the entrance of the building, Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver, four of which hit Lennon in the back. Chapman remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by the police. Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Murder of: John Lennon
Place of death: The Dakota, New York City, New York
Date: 8 December 1980; 42 years ago
Time: c. 10:50 p.m (US Eastern time (UTC−05:00))
Attack type: Shooting with handgun
Weapon: Charter Arms Undercover .38 Special revolver
Perpetrator: Mark David Chapman
Dec 8th – On this date in John Lennon history:
Dec 8 1940, 2 months, war baby
Dec 8 1950, raised by aunt/uncle
Dec 8 1960, back home from Hamburg with new guitar and cowboy boots, momentarily unsure of future
Dec 8 1970, ‘Lennon Remembers’ interview with Rolling Stone
Dec 8 1980, murdered.
Ever Wonder How The Beatles Came Up With Their Name?
https://youtu.be/f9FbeEFhEiI
If you are a fan of The Beatles you might enjoy these videos by Morgan Rees:
The Beatles “Beginning to the End” factoids:
https://youtu.be/GzGoieAwSU0
The Beatles “White Album” factoids:
https://youtu.be/iMvE4cnrmFI
The making of “YELLOW SUBMARINE” movie:
https://youtu.be/s1GsVlK3ufA
The Beatles “Rubber Soul” factoids:
https://youtu.be/l34_8OQW-Ds
