Thirty years ago today, Mark David Chapman put a vicious end to the life of John Winston Lennon (1940-1980). Lennon was murdered in cold blood by Chapman in New York City on December 8th, 1980, as he and Yoko Ono returned home from a recording session. Lennon was the outstanding English songwriter, musician, singer, artist, author and peace activist who became famous worldwide as the founder of the Sixties pop group, The Beatles.

John Lennon was perhaps the more intrepid part of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Lennon/McCartney partnership, writing songs for The Beatles as well as other artists. Lennon, with his cynical edge, knack for introspection and, at times, wicked humour, and McCartney, with his story-telling optimism and gift for melody, complemented each other unlike any other songwriter duo. In his solo career, Lennon wrote and recorded songs such as “Beautiful Boy”, “Give Peace a Chance”, “Imagine”, “Mother”, “Woman” and “Working Class Hero”.

The photo (above) shows John Lennon performing onstage with Elton John at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as a result of having lost a wager that his song “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” (which Elton John also played and sang on) would hit No. 1 on the pop chart (on November 11th). This event turned into Lennon’s last concert appearance ever (November 28th, 1974).

John Lennon had a link with Mallorca when, in April 1971, he and Yoko Ono allegedly tried to abduct Kyoko Chan Cox, Yoko Ono’s daughter with her second husband, Anthony Cox, from a guardería in Manacor whilst the father attended a retreat with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Mr. Cox denounced the abduction to the Guardia Civil. Lennon and Ono were spotted in Palma with the child and thus, arrested by the police. Eventually, the child’s father withdrew his allegations when it was agreed that there had been a misunderstanding. The girl was returned to her father and Lennon and Ono were able to leave Mallorca without any further charges. Before they took off, however, Lennon and Ono held a press conference in Palma on the morning after their detention. Lennon never returned to this island. In 1995, Yoko Ono had an exhibition of some of her drawings at the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, in Palma.

John’s first wife, Cynthia Lennon, as well as their son Julian, are intermittent residents in Mallorca.

The photo (top) was borrowed from the Internet courtesy of thisrecording.com and the unknown photographer. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet courtesy of taringa.net and the, again, unidentified photographer. Thank you very much and

muchas gracias.