John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon MBE (born Liverpool, UK, 9 October, 1940; died New York, 8 December 1980) rose to fame with the pop group, The Beatles, a 1960's sensation which, in John's own words, was "more popular than Jesus." Lennon's life was cut short when a crazed fan, Mark David Chapman, shot him dead outside his New York apartment on 8 December 1980.

John met Yoko Ono in London on November 9, 1966. Yoko, twice divorced, already had a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, by her second husband. She was pregnant at the time she married John, but the baby miscarried. John and Yoko worked closely together both musically and in a series of political campaigns. They married on 20 March 1969, spent fifteen months separated in 1973-4, and, reconciled, had a son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, in 1975.

Lennon released a number of singles before the break-up of the Beatles towards the end of 1970: 'Give Peace A Chance', 'Cold Turkey' (both credited to the Plastic Ono Band), and 'Instant Karma'.

Yoko Ono donated the rights to Lennon's song 'Imagine' to Amnesty International.