The 40th Anniversary of John Lennon's Death

It was forty years ago today that John Lennon was shot and murdered by a deranged fan. Even now, forty years later, I can remember the morning of December 9 1980 when I learned the news. I was only 17 at the time and I was staying home from school with the flu. It is for that reason that come 7:00 AM I was still in bed. I was awake when my brother came into my room and said, "John Lennon's dead. He's been shot." I cannot repeat exactly what I said here as it is not family friendly, but it was to the effect that he was lying. It was then that I dragged myself out of bed and went into the living room to see the awful news on The Today Show on NBC. John Lennon was dead. I immediately broke down crying and I would continue crying on and off all day. I also listened to every Beatles album we had. Ultimately, I would cry more over John Lennon than I have any celebrity except my dearest Vanessa Marquez, whom I knew intimately and was in love with. It is sad fact that the remaining Beatles and I have something in common: someone we hold dear was murdered through gun violence.

It might seem odd to some for someone to cry over a person they did not know, let alone even met. When David Bowie died I know there were a few who mocked the widespread mourning that took place following his death. That having been said, the plain truth is that music artists, writers, actors, directors, and other artists have an impact on our lives, often in ways that we cannot understand and cannot adequately measure. Their works help us get through our bad times, add more joy to our good times, give meaning to our lives, and even help shape our attitudes to life. Among the things we have learned during this pandemic, it is that the arts--music, books, movies, TV shows, and so on--are essential to maintaining people's mental health. In those dark days following Vanessa's murder, it was in part the music of The Beatles that helped me get through it all. Although he had been gone for 37 years at that point, John Lennon had saved my life once again. Among the songs I was privileged to select for Vanessa's first memorial was John Lennon's song "In My Life." It was a song that Vanessa loved and a song that also expressed my feelings for her.

I have written a good deal about John Lennon on this blog, perhaps more than other single person besides Vanessa. Below are the posts I wrote on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death and on the occasion of what would been his 70th birthday.

"The 30th Anniversary of John Lennon's Death"

"In Honour of John Lennon's 70th Birthday"

Below, I have included some of my favourite John Lennon songs.