JOHN LENNON

Lennon was born in war-time England, on 9 October 1940 at Liverpool. Throughout his childhood and adolescence he lived with his aunt and uncle, Mimi and George Smith, who had no children of their own

The Beatles evolved from Lennon's first band, the Quarrymen.

Lennon first met Paul McCartney at the Quarrymen's second performance, after which McCartney was asked to join the band. George Harrison joined the band as lead guitarist. Stuart Sutcliffe, Lennon's friend from art school, later joined as bassist.

Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe became "The Beatles" in early 1960.

The Beatles achieved mainstream success in the UK during the beginning of The other Beatles idolized John Lennon. Paul McCartney said: "He was like our own little Elvis... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest"

Deprived of the routine of live performances after their final commercial concert in1966, Lennon felt lost and considered leaving the band. Since his involuntary introduction to LSD in January, he had made increasing use of the drug, and was almost constantly under its influence for much of the year.

The anti-war, black comedy How I Won the War, featuring Lennon's only appearance in a non–Beatles' full-length film, was shown in cinemas in October 1967.

At the end of 1968, Lennon featured in the film The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (not released until 1996) in the role of a Dirty Mac band member.

John married Cynthia Powell in August 1962 and they had a son together who they called Julian. Since the Beatles were becoming very popular at the time, Cynthia had to keep a very low profile. John Lennon divorced Cynthia and re-married with Yoko Ono who he met in November 1966.

In 1970, the Beatles broke up, after Paul McCartney has announced that he is leaving the Beatles. The letter which started the separation of the «Beatles» After the Beatles broke up, John Lennon went his way and he tried to send out his message out clearer. He started doing this by releasing his first solo album «Imagine».

Of all former Beatles, Lennon made the most promising start as a solo artist. In 1971, he recorded the song by which most people remember him today, «Imagine»

At around 10:50 pm on 8 December 1980, as Lennon returned to his New York apartment in The Dakota, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times at the entrance to the building. Lennon was taken to the emergency room of the nearby Roosevelt Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:07 pm. Earlier that evening, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman. Mark David Chapman