Lennon was born in Liverpool to two parents who had a great deal of musical background, though they never tried to pursue music professionally. His father, Alfred, was a merchant seaman who walked out on the family when John was five years old. When his mother began pursuing another relationship, she decided it was best for John to be raised by her sister Mimi and her husband George, whom he lived with throughout adolescence.

George became the father figure in John’s life. He bought him his first mouth organ. It was George who also taught John how to express himself through drawing, painting, and music. George died in 1955. Three years later when John was seventeen, he mother, Julia, was killed in a car accident by a drunken, off-duty police officer. The events cemented his friendship with classmate Paul McCartney.

John failed all of his exams at grammar school, but he was still accepted into the Liverpool College of Art, thanks in part to his Aunt Mimi. John hated the structure and conforming nature of the school and eventually dropped out. The school did serve one purpose though; it is where he met his first wife, Cynthia Powell. The couple married in 1962 when Cynthia became pregnant with their first son, John Charles Julian Lennon.

While still in grammar school, Lennon’s interest in music began to develop. It was there that he formed his first band, The Quarry Men, with fellow classmates George Harrison and Paul McCartney. They were all big fans of American Rock ‘n’ Roll and were influenced by musicians like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and Chuck Berry.

After changing their name to The Beatles and adding Ringo Starr to the band, they soon became a worldwide sensation, especially among young teenage girls. A large part of the band’s character came from John, who was known for his wit and humor, especially in the public eye.

Eventually, after massive success, several albums, tours, and films, the band officially split up in 1970 with Lennon being the first one to call it quits. Lennon and McCartney went their separate ways, each pursuing a solo career.

During the time of the Beatles, Lennon neglected his family. He was distant with his son and reportedly slapped his wife; the marriage ended in divorce in 1968. That same year, Lennon began a relationship with Yoko Ono, an artist. The two became inseparable and after the break-up of the Beatles, they began recording and performing together as the Lennon/Plastic Ono Band with an experimental sound and politically left winged lyrics.

In 1975, Lennon announced that he was retiring from music. Part of his decision to retire came from Yoko giving birth to their first son together, Sean. Lennon decided he wanted to try to reconnect with his first son, and also be a bigger part in Sean’s life. The retirement lasted until 1980 when he decided to begin recording another album.

On December 8, 1980, Lennon and Ono spent most of the day in a recording studio in New York City, where they now resided. They returned to their apartment by limousine at 10:50 PM. After Yoko had already entered the entranceway to their home, Mark David Chapman called out Lennon’s name and then shot him four times. The autopsy reported that the fatal shot had hit Lennon’s aorta.

YUDDY