The Beatles fans in tears as murder of John Lennon shocked world
It was a moment that shocked the world. On this day in 1980, John Lennon was shot dead as he walked into his home at the Dakota building in New York City.
The Woolton-raised former Beatle was gunned down by Mark David Chapman, said to be envious of John's lifestyle and inspired by the JD Salinger novel 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Chapman had planned the killing for months and had met John earlier that day to get his copy of the album 'Double Fantasy' signed.
As John and his wife Yoko Ono returned to their home to say goodnight to their son Sean before heading for a night out, Chapman shot the star four times in the back with a revolver. The 'Imagine' singer was taken to hospital and there was an attempt to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead.
Chapman was arrested at the scene, where police found him reading the aforementioned Salinger book. A huge outpouring of grief was felt around the world.
Tearful crowds gathered at New York's Roosevelt Hospital, where John had been taken, and at the Dakota itself. At least two Beatles fans died by suicide in the aftermath of the murder.
The day after the fatal shooting, December 9, 1980, the Liverpool ECHO front page headline read: 'John Lennon shot dead'.
Heartbroken fans gathered on Mathew Street to pay tribute to one of the city's favourite sons. That Tuesday's ECHO read: “The people of Liverpool were stunned today by the shock news of John Lennon’s death. Grief-stricken fans gathered in the cold of Mathew Street. The site of the Cavern where Beatlemania was born quickly became a shrine to his memory”.
John's fellow Beatles - his childhood friends - all paid tribute to him. In a statement given to the press, George Harrison said: "After all we went through together, I had and still have great love and respect for him. I am shocked and stunned.
Source: Dan Haygarth/liverpoolecho.co.uk