8th December 1980

Musician John Lennon is shot and killed by an obsessed fan in New York City. The British star, formerly of the rock group The Beatles, had once caused outrage when he declared that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Love and peace were Lennon’s central themes; he found love when he married singer Yoko Ono, but peace was shattered on 8th December 1980, when he was shot outside his apartment building in New York City. He died on the way to the hospital. His assailant, Mark David Chapman, was convicted of murder and sent to jail. Bereaved fans kept vigil in front of the entrance to his home for an entire week.