John Lennon

Born: 9 October 1940 Birthplace: Liverpool, England Death: 8 December 1980 (shot to death) Best Known As: One of The Beatles As half of The Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were one of the most successful songwriting teams of the century. Together they wrote dozens of hit tunes, ranging from "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride" to "Penny Lane" and "Let It Be." Lennon's romance with Yoko Ono was a major influence on his post-Beatles career, and he collaborated with her on everything from avant-garde noise to the modern pop hymn "Imagine". After The Beatles, Lennon's solo career was marked by unpredictable records and his public pleas for world peace. After a reclusive five years as a family man, Lennon released an album with Yoko in 1980, Double Fantasy. As their new song "Just Like Starting Over" was reaching the top of the charts, Lennon was shot to death outside his New York home by Mark David Chapman, a schizophrenic fan. Lennon was credited on Harry Nilsson records as Dr. Winston O'Boogie, and makes an appearance in our loop on Famous Doctors... Lennon published two illustrated books of poetry and wit in the mid-1960s, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works... His son Julian Lennon is also a singer and musician... Lennon's political positions gained him the enmity of J. Edgar Hoover's F. B. I. and the U.S. State Department, and researchers are still trying to get files on Lennon made public.