The Life and Death of John Lennon
It was around this time, thirty-three year ago tonight that John Lennon was shot and killed. He and his wife, Yoko Ono were coming home when he was shot by Mark David Chapman.
It's hard to explain what Lennon has meant to my life. Whenever I write a piece that has to do with music, I always mention how much I love music. That started in 1964 when we were introduced to The Beatles. I loved all the early songs. " I Want To Hold Your Hand ", " She Loves You ", " Twist and Shout " and so many more. And as the front man for the group, we fell in love with John Lennon.
In those early days, we couldn't get enough of The Beatles. It seemed like the entire country was in front of their televisions to see them on Ed Sullivan. When you add in that our parent's generation didn't like them, it made it even better.
When The Beatles started to grow as artists, Lennon led the way with Norwegian Wood. The great thing is we were growing with them.
Then came Sgt. Peppers....oh yeah....what an album that was and remains. Most polls consider it the greatest album of all time. John gave is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", " Good Morning, Good Morning", and " A Day in the Life."
The Beatles eventually broke up but Lennon wasn't done. His solo career gave us " Imagine."
He went through some tough times. He was lost. I think all of us can relate to that.
He finally came home and spent a few years raising his son, Sean. Most of us were doing the same thing. John had become a regular guy.
His life was snuffed out by the four bullets he took in the back. Most of us heard the news watching Monday Night Football.
Our generation was stunned and heartbroken by the senseless act of violence. My father told me that while he was horrified by the shooting, the aftermath made him realize just how important Lennon and The Beatles were to us.
It's 33 years later. I'm still saddened and heartbroken by what happened that night in NYC. Like so many musicians who died early, we'll never know what John had left to give us. But let's face it, in his forty years, he gave us more than enough.
RIP John,