John Lennon's tragic death remembered 41 years later: How the world reacted (2023)

FAQs

How did the society react to John Lennon's death? ›

Fans Gather to Pay Respect

John was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead at 11:15 pm. Following the death of John Lennon, fans held candlelight vigils in his honor. 400,000 people gathered at Central Park in the week after his death to show their love and support for his family and his friends.

In the feature, Harrison's wife, Olivia Harrison, revealed her husband's thoughts following Lennon's tragic murder. She said Harrison was "really angry" at Lennon for his lack of preparation. She said he was furious that "John didn't have a chance to leave his body in a better way".

While travelling in the car on the way back from The Record Plant, Lennon spoke to Ono for the last time. “I said, 'shall we go and have dinner before we go home?' ” Ono recalled. “And John said, 'No, let's go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep.

In a 1988 interview on Aspel and Co., Harrison revealed that he had been sleeping when he received the shocking news. “The call came through sometime in the morning, four or five in the morning,” George said. “I didn't take the call. Olivia took the call, and she said, 'John's been shot.

In the late 1960s and early '70s, John Lennon began to actively endorse a wide variety of progressive and radical political causes. He championed the anti-war movement as well as Native and African-American rights while demonstrating a deepening interest in feminism.

Many cultural movements of the 1960s were assisted or inspired by the Beatles. In Britain, their rise to national prominence signalled the youth-driven changes in postwar society, with respect to social mobility, teenagers' commercial influence, and informality.

George Harrison passed away on November 29, 2001. His final words were recorded by his wife, Olivia Harrison, as very simply “love one another.”

Did the Beatles go to George Harrison's funeral? No, because George didn't have a funeral - at least not in the traditional sense. George passed way in the early afternoon of 29th November 2001 in Los Angeles.

During a chat with DJ Alan Freeman on his 1970s show Rock Around The World, George said he felt inferior in some ways to lead singer Paul, now 80. He said: “I had no confidence in myself as a guitar player having spent so many years with Paul McCartney, he ruined me as a guitar player.”

"When John died, it was so difficult," McCartney told host Tom Frangione. "It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special." McCartney, 80, continued, that the death of his Beatles bandmate hit him so hard "that I couldn't really talk about it."

What was John Lennon's last words to paul McCartney? ›

Although their intimate conversations remained private, Paul's wife Linda McCartney once revealed John Lennon's last words to his former band mate. As Ultimate Classic Rock reveal, they were: “Think about me every now and then, old friend.”

She said: "I said 'shall we go and have dinner before we go home? ' and John said 'No, let's go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep'.” Yoko was also asked if John had said anything after he had been shot, to which she replied quietly "no".

After a period of pause, a silence that feels more real than anything else said in the interview, Ringo simply fills the space by stating: “I'm really sad. I still miss John a great deal, I'll always miss him, you know.

“One body is called the causal body, the next body is called the astral body and the third is called the gross physical body. So death is only relative to birth—if you don't wanna die, you don't get born. But as long as you're born, you've got to die.

In the better world Lennon proposed, people would forgo violence and act out of love and mutual respect. They would recognize that such traditional classifiers as religion, nationality and skin color are meaningless from a cosmic perspective and that any person should be treated simply as a fellow human being.

John Lennon was the leader or coleader of the British rock group the Beatles, author and graphic artist, solo recording artist, and collaborator with Yoko Ono on recordings and other art projects.

John Lennon, born in Liverpool on Oct. 9, 1940, earned worldwide fame when he created the Beatles. Throughout his life, Lennon became known as a peace activist, artist, poet and philosopher, while still writing and recording seminal music.

They led the way in production and album-oriented rock. They pioneered music videos. They also transformed attitudes about mind-altering drugs and ushered in a new interest in non-Western religions.

In 1966, John Lennon entangled The Beatles in what was likely their biggest controversy. In an interview, he spoke about the enduring quality of rock music versus religion. “Christianity will go,” he said, per Rolling Stone. “It will vanish and shrink.

The Beatles were also innovative in business and strategy, having a huge impact on global music industries. They were one of the first rock groups to have their own production company, Apple, and to attempt to manage their own career after the death of their manager Brian Epstein.

What did Paul McCartney say when George Harrison died? ›

As ever Paul was calm, collected and sincere in his approach, describing the news as “very sad.” He went on to say “[I am devastated] I've known he's been ill for a long time,” before adding, “I've spoken to Olivia [Harrison] and she has been very strong, and I'd ask people to be kind to her.”

Passing away at Sir Paul McCartney's American home, George Harrison had wife Olivia Harrison by his side until the end. According to those present, his final words were: “Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.”

Eric Clapton was Harrison's closest friend, but he had actively pursued Pattie Boyd romantically while she was married to Harrison.

Yes, Paul McCartney did attend John Lennon's funeral.

“All Things Must Pass” reflects George Harrison's philosophy on death. Death is inevitable. We cannot ignore it, so we must embrace it warmly.

Harrison and Lennon were possibly the closest friends in the group at the time — and following the band's breakup with the guitarist notoriously featuring Lennon's famed Paul McCartney attack song — but their relationship was dramatically withering.

Arguably though, Harrison and McCartney fell out more than any other members, and their differences seem harder to reconcile. It would be a stumbling block for any potential reunions. In 1973, the dust had settled a little and the Beatles all seemed to have relaxed into their new roles as solo artists.

George left because Paul and he were having a heated discussion. They weren't getting on that day and George decided to leave, but he didn't tell John or me or Paul.

Unlike John Lennon, who used his status to establish himself as a countercultural preacher-for-peace, George regarded fame as innately destructive. It is perhaps for this reason that he once said he stopped enjoying being in The Beatles when they became famous. Sure, it made them rich, but it also made them complacent.

"When John died, it was so difficult," McCartney told host Tom Frangione. "It was difficult for everyone in the world because he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special." McCartney, 80, continued, that the death of his Beatles bandmate hit him so hard "that I couldn't really talk about it."

How did paul McCartney find out about John Lennon's death? ›

With the grim milestone coming up, his bandmate, Paul McCartney, 72, spoke about how he found out his close friend had died after he was shot to death at the age of 40 in New York by Mark David Chapman. "I was at home and I got a phone call," he said on the Jonathan Ross Show. "It was early in the morning.

They faced their share of numerous failures throughout their journey. But their persistence and hardwork aided them immensely. The series of failures only made them stronger and each time they failed they worked even more to come back stronger. Beatles are probably one of mankind's greatest success stories.

Paul McCartney says his bitter rift with Beatles bandmate John Lennon may have drawn headlines, but their real story at the end was one of forgiveness, as the two put aside differences to bond over fatherhood and “bread-making recipes.”

“I said 'shall we go and have dinner before we go home? ' and John said 'No, let's go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep',” Ono, 73, told Kirsty Young on 'Desert Island Discs'.

"Here Today" is a song by Paul McCartney from his 1982 album Tug of War. He wrote the song as a tribute to his relationship with John Lennon, who was murdered in 1980.

Harrison died in a property owned by McCartney in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. He was surrounded by his wife, Olivia Harrison, his son, Dhani Harrison, and his closest friend, Ravi Shankar, as well as his family and some other Hare Krishna devotees.

“As soon as it hit my era, the intelligence of it dropped considerably. When it came to me, this guy folded his arms and crossed his feet and said, 'I never liked Joni Mitchell—she's too twee. ' Well, that's what John Lennon was like. It was that fear working-class people have of middle-class people.”

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:15 p.m. at age 40. Chapman remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by the police.

He was an Activist

Lennon was famous for making meaningful music, but he also stood out in the minds of people everywhere due to the fact that he was vocal on a number of political issues during his lifetime. He used both his music and actions to voice his opinions.