Beatles, Yoko Ono and sons remember John Lennon, 40 years on from his death
“I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser!”: Paul McCartney
Photo: Rowland Scherman / Getty images
On the 40th anniversary of John Lennon’s death, his former bandmates, widow Yoko Ono and children have all shared tributes online.
Lennon, who was fatally shot on 8 December 1980, would have turned 80 this year. Decades on from his passing, his legacy continues to impact the music world today.
Paul McCartney, the former songwriting partner of Lennon, took to Twitter to remember his friend.
“A sad sad day but remembering my friend John with the great joy he brought to the world,” He wrote. “I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser!”
A sad sad day but remembering my friend John with the great joy he brought to the world. I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser! X love Paul#JohnLennon
📷 by Linda McCartney pic.twitter.com/oNL0ihzhvl
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) December 8, 2020
Meanwhile, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr made an open request for “every music radio station in the world” to add the Lennon-penned Strawberry Fields Forever to their daily playlist.
Tuesday, 8 December 1980 we all had to say goodbye to John peace and love John. I’m asking Every music radio station in the world sometime today play Strawberry Fields Forever. Peace and love. 😎✌️🌟❤️🎶🎼💝☮️ pic.twitter.com/dAEgekrvmW
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) December 8, 2020
Yoko Ono, the 87-year-old widow of Lennon, used Lennon’s death anniversary as a platform to raise awareness of gun-related violence in the United States.
She shared a statistic on Twitter which states “over 1,436,000 people have been killed by guns in the U.S.A. since John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980”.
She added as a caption: “The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him.”
The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience.
After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him.
'Imagine all the people living life in peace.'
Yoko Ono Lennon#enoughisenough #peace #guncontrolnow #gunviolence #nra #guns #gunsafety #firearms #endgunviolence pic.twitter.com/TsHWuCdu2Y— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) December 8, 2020
Julian Lennon, the son of John and his first wife, Cynthia, shared a photo tribute to his father on Twitter, writing as a caption, “As time goes by…”
As Time Goes By…. pic.twitter.com/2qQvYeN7qM
— Julian Lennon (@JulianLennon) December 8, 2020
Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John and Yoko, shared an old photograph of his family. It pictured his mother, father, step-brother Julian and himself on a boat.
For more music news, click here.