08 Dec 1980: John Lennon killed
On this day in 1980, former Beatle John Lennon was killed by Mark David Chapman, a 25-year-old with psychological problems.

Lennon’s last photo; Chapman is asking for an autograph. (Phil Goresh)
Some more details on John’s death:
- Lennon was returning from Record Plant Studio; he and his wife, Yoko Ono, had been recording a song called “Walking on Thin Ice”
- the famous Annie Liebovitz photo of a naked John alongside Yoko was taken that same day; it would be the next Rolling Stone cover
- the murder took place outside The Dakota, the couple’s apartment building on the Upper West Side
- Chapman asked Lennon to sign his copy of his latest album, Double Fantasy
- after the shooting, Chapman calmly read The Catcher in the Rye until his arrest
- Howard Cosell broke into a broadcast of Monday Night Football to tearfully announce Lennon’s death
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