John Lennon was only 40 years old. He was shot four times, at close range, by Mark David Chapman, 25, while entering the Dakota, Lennon's Manhattan apartment. Lennon died on the way to hospital.

Chapman, who would later be described as 'borderline psychotic', apparently believed Lennon was a phony and made complicated plans to kill him. Lennon had given Chapman an autograph earlier in the day. Chapman voluntarily remained at the scene of the crime until he was arrested, reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' while he waited.

Lennon, one half of the Lennon-McCartney (Paul McCartney) writing duo, caused outrage on a tour of the USA in 1966 when he said that the Beatles were:

"more popular than Jesus"

The American Bible Belt was outraged and burned the Beatle's records.

Today there is a memorial to John Lennon in New York's Central Park, where a section, called "Strawberry Fields", has been landscaped by Lennon's wife Yoko Ono.