On this day in 1980, the iconic musician John Lennon was shot dead at the Dakota Hotel, New York by David Mark Chapman. At the age of 40, the lead singer of the hit band 'The Beatles' was shot four times in the back, with the final shot missing and hitting glass. The assassination happened at around 11pm. The ironic thing is that Lennon's assassin had earlier asked (and succeeded) to have Lennon's autograph. Despite being a fan of Lennon's, Chapman said that he had no reason to kill Lennon. Rumours say he was offended by the blashphemic lyrics of 'Imagine'. Lennon had 15 number one albums from a career with The Beatles and a successful solo career. His final album released titled 'Double Fantasy' featuring his wife Yoko before his death. In a statement on December 9th, John's wife Yoko Ono issued a statement; "There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean." Yoko continues to campaign for Peace, and awards a yearly Peace prize to celebrities who campaign for Peace. Click here to listen to John Lennon's most famous song 'Imagine'. | "I willingly took John Lennon's life. What I did was despicable. " |