Who was John Lennon?
John was a member of The Beatles for all 10 years (1960-1970). The group was and still is one of the most successful bands of all time. He wrote and sang many of the band's most popular songs ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Come Together", "All You Need is Love"). The group received four Grammys.
After The Beatles split up, John went on to have a successful solo career. His most popular song is "Imagine".
Who was the Assassin?
Mark David Chapman- Born in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended Purdue University's engineering school. In the summers, he worked at a camp, where he was loved by the kids. He loved the book The Catcher in the Rye. He wanted to live his life like the main character Holden Caulfield. He married Gloria Abe in 1979. He was physically abusive towards his wife.
Setting The Stage
His wife started to notice that he was not mentally stable. His obsession with The Catcher in the Rye grew, and he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield. He began to develop anger toward John Lennon. He saw him as a phony, who preached peace and love, but was a isolated millionaire himself. After spending weeks by himself and praying to Satan, he convinced himself to assassinate John Lennon. He thought that passages from The Catcher in the Rye and song lyrics from various Beatles songs proved that John Lennon deserved to die.
The Assassination
Chapman flew out to New York, after he finally convinced himself to go through with the murder. He spent the entire day waiting outside of Lennon's apartment building The Dakota. When Lennon walked out, he asked him for an autograph. Lennon happily signed, and left in a limousine. Chapman waited outside of the apartment all day. When Lennon returned to his apartment, Chapman walked behind him and fired four bullets into his back. John Lennon died on December 8, 1980, at 10:50 pm. Chapman stayed at the crime scene until the police arrived. When the police arrived, they found him sitting down, reading The Catcher in the Rye.
The Aftermath
The first place people learned about the death was on Monday Night Football.
The public was shocked when they learned about the death of the beloved singer. People questioned why someone would use violence against maybe the most peaceful man in the world. This caused other celebrities to be more cautious when interacting with fans.
Lennon's death caused a rise in sales of Beatles albums. Many radio stations played Beatles songs for a week straight.
People come from all over the world to see Lennon's memorial. He will always be remembered for his musical talent and his peaceful character.
