John Lennon is perhaps one of the most famous musicians of all time. Through song writing and an active role in current events, Lennon became an international icon of thought and leadership. He was also considered the “Leader” of the Beatles.
Lennon was born on October 9th, 1940 in Liverpool England. He had nearly no relationship with his father and a very lose one with his mother. For the most part, he was raised by his Aunt Mimi and his uncle. At age 16, he formed a group called the Quarrymen. After meeting McCartney, the group went through a series of line up changes the group became the Beatles.
After the four had formed they played in a series of clubs on a regular basis. In 1961, Brian Epstein discovered the group playing at the Cavern Club. That year, the Beatles were signed to EMI. During this time, Lennon was married to Cynthia Powell. The couple had one child named Julian.
As one of the main song writers, Lennon played an important role in the success of the Beatles. Most of the Beatles’s hit songs were either written by John or Paul. After a few years of international success, Lennon made the controversially statement that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. While this statement caused much anger, it also catapulted Lennon’s world view.
In 1968, Powell and Lennon divorced shortly after he had met Yoko Ono. Together, Lennon worked on a solo project with her, led peace protest and began focusing on a life without the Beatles. In 1970, the group public ally announced that they had split up. Right after, Lennon and Ono released their album.
In 1971, Lennon released one of the most influential songs of his career. “Imagine” highlighted an optimistic view of humanity from the eyes of a great song writer. Later that year, the couple moved to New York. Threats of deportation for drugs and activism against the unpopular war helped keep Lennon and Ono in the public eye.
Like Harrison, Lennon used his fame to provide a charity concert. In 1972, he held a concert that was aimed to benefit handicap children. He also temporarily separated from Ono and went to Los Angeles. There he spent time at parties with his mistress and many celebrities. This became known as The Lost Weekend.
Lennon later reunited with Ono and they moved into the Dakota in New York City. They had their first and only child Sean Lennon. Lennon also fully retired from music to be a stay at home dad.
On December 8th, 1980, Lennon unexpectedly died when he was shot multiple times by Mark David Chapman. He died at the age of 40. After his death, Ono became the voice of John Lennon. She has held many remembering and ceremonies on his behalf. Both his sons, Julian and Sean have had short music careers. Lennon has also many interviews and songs that were never released.