New York City – Like so many people, when a major historical event or tragedy happens, you instantly remember where you were and what you were doing at that particular moment.
December 8, 1980 was one of those days. The day a deranged Beatles fan named Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon.
John Lennon was announced dead by Howard Cosell on a Monday Night Football game . Miami Dolphins vs the Patriots (Tom LaPorte, Top Line Productions TLP)
From Wikipedia: At around 10:50 pm on 8 December 1980, as Lennon and Ono returned to their New York apartment in the Dakota, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times at the entrance to the building. Lennon was taken to the emergency room of nearby Roosevelt Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:00 pm. Earlier that evening, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman.
Ono issued a statement the next day, saying “There is no funeral for John”, ending it with the words, “John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him.” His body was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Ono scattered his ashes in New York’s Central Park, where the Strawberry Fields memorial was later created. Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life .
