Photos of John Lennon in 1980: The Last Year of His Extraordinary Life
These striking images show Lennon in his final year of life, and in the hours before his death on December 8, 1980.
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Nineteen-eighty was a year of reemergence for John Lennon. He had spent the last five years mostly removed from the spotlight, dedicating himself full-time to raising his son, Sean, alongside his wife, Yoko Ono. In 1980, the year Lennon turned forty, he recorded a comeback album, Double Fantasy, which was released weeks before his death.
About that death: Around 5 p.m., on December 8, 1980, Lennon and Ono left their home at The Dakota, a historic apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side overlooking Central Park, for a recording session. He signed an autograph on his way out for a man named Mark David Chapman. When Lennon and Ono returned shortly before 11 p.m., Chapman was waiting outside, where he shot Lennon. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. An outpouring of grief, public and private, followed as the world mourned his death.
These photos from the year 1980 show Lennon busy, happy, and in the company of Ono. They also hint at the scale of grief his death sparked. His life made a profound impact on the world, which is felt four decades after his untimely death.
A heavily bearded John Lennon walks with Yoko Ono outside the Breaker Beach Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Lennon and Ono in New York.
Lennon signs an autograph in New York.
Lennon, Ono, and Matt Dillion pose for a photo in New York.
Lennon and Yono on the street in New York on August 18.
Lennon and Ono outside The Hit Factory, a recording studio in Times Square, in August while they record his final album, Double Fantasy.
Lennon gets into a car outside The Hit Factory.
Another shot of Lennon leaving The Hit Factory in August.
Lennon signs an autograph outside The Hit Factory in August.
Lennon and Yono were photographed on November 2, marking the first time Lennon had been professionally photographed in five years and the final comprehensive shoot of his life.
Lennon and Yono inside The Hit Factory on December 6, two days before his death.
Another photo of Lennon inside The Hit Factory on December 6, 1980, with Ono and deejay Andy Peebles.
The last photo ever taken of Lennon as he signs a copy of Double Fantasy outside his home around 5 p.m. on December 8. The man in the background, for whom he's signing the autograph, is Mark David Chapman, who shot him to death later that night.
One hour after Lennon was shot and killed, fans had gathered outside The Dakota.
The day after Lennon's death, Jane Pauley and Tom Brokaw on the air for NBC News during a tribute to Lennon.
A crowd outside The Dakota in the days after Lennon's death.
A crowd in Lennon's hometown of Liverpool, England.
A memorial to Lennon in Central Park on December 14.
The crowd in Central Park memorializing Lennon.
A woman in Central Park holds a sign during a memorial for Lennon.
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