John Lennon was murdered.

December 8, 1980 John Lennon murdered.

On the evening of December 8, 1980, John Lennon was returning to the Dakota Apartments where he lived in New York City. Mark David Chapman, a Beatles’ fan, fired five bullets from a .38 special revolver at Lennon. The legendary musician was rushed to the Roosevelt Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival at 11:15 pm. He was 40 years old. Famed broadcaster Howard Cosell announced the news on Monday Night Football. Chapman was a 25-year-old security guard from Honolulu, Hawaii, with no prior criminal convictions. He had planned the killing over several months. He was reportedly enraged by Lennon’s rich lifestyle and comment in 1966 that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” Chapman was inspired by Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, who rages against hypocrisy and phonies. After shooting Lennon, Chapman remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman arrived at the Dakota early in the morning of December 8. He talked to the doorman and Beatles’ fans throughout the day. At around 5pm, Lennon was leaving for a recording session at the Record Plant and Chapman approached him and had him sign a copy of Double Fantasy, the latest album from Lennon and wife Yoko Ono. Chapman shot Lennon when he returned home about 10:50pm. Chapman pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 20 years-to-life. He has been denied parole twelve times since becoming eligible in 2000. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” for more important dates in music history Dave’s Music Database: “Music Makers’ Birthdays” DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Lennon Wikipedia.org “Murder of John Lennon” First posted 12/6/2023.