The Terrible Loss of Lennon

Thirty years ago, John Lennon, one of the most imaginative, insightful and unpretentious celebrities to have ever lived, was gunned down in a senseless act of violence. Of course, his impressive compilation of music lives on. Unfortunately, so does the memory of his tragic death.

While watching my tiny, 13-inch TV in my University of Missouri college dorm room on this date in 1980, I learned about Lennon’s murder. The New England Patriots were battling the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, and the usually brash Howard Cosell humbly broke the news to millions of viewers.

"Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which in duty bound, we have to take."
-Howard Cosell

After the game, Ted Koppel on ‘ABC News Nightline’ put the Iranian hostage crisis on the backburner and led with the Lennon story.



The next day, Yoko Ono, forced into the role of being John’s widow, requested that there be no funeral.

"There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean."
-Yoko Ono

That, however, didn’t stop the outpouring of grief. Spontaneous vigils were held globally…and on the following Sunday (Dec. 14, 1980), nearly a half-million mourners gathered in New York City’s Central Park to pay their respects.



Personally, this was a very distressing time for me. Ronald Reagan had recently become the President-elect. Together with the loss of Lennon, I was certain World War III was just around the corner.

Fortunately, my bleak assessment didn’t come to pass. But, I often wonder how things would be today if John Lennon were still alive. He’d be 70 now….and he’d most certainly would be able to boast of an even vaster music anthology that would continue to demonstrate his brilliance. And perhaps, the actual course of history would have been altered. I absolutely believe the world would be a better place in this alternate universe.