John Lennon's Bloody Clothes On Display

Exhibit Of Ex-Beatle's New York Years Includes Guitars, Letters And Blood-Stained Garb From His 1980 Murder

(AP)  A new John Lennon exhibit is particularly emotional for his widow, Yoko Ono. Besides Lennon's guitars, letters and other personal effects, it also includes a paper bag containing the bloody clothes from the night he was shot to death.

Ono received the items from the medical examiner in December 1980, when the former Beatle was gunned down in New York City at age 40.

"It was hard to include," Ono said. "And I thought it might be criticized as well."

But ultimately, Ono thought it was important to let people see the effects of gun violence.

The Lennon items are part of a new exhibit that will launch Tuesday at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex. "John Lennon: The New York Years" includes Lennon's famous New York City T-shirt, his upright piano from his Dakota apartment, and a posthumous 1981 Grammy Award for the couple's album "Double Fantasy."

"I know it's a kind of a sad and very poignant kind of paradox I think that he loved this place so much and this is where he was killed," she said in an interview after a news conference for the exhibit.

There are also letters documenting Lennon's long-fought battle against deportation in the early 1970s, both from the government and supporters. Glass cases also contain a dozen or so handwritten lyrics.

Ono says Lennon's death still haunts her nearly 30 years later: "I still get affected by it."

"If it (his death) was a slow a process we could have talked about it or something," she added, holding back tears.

The exhibit will be on display throughout 2009.

[sandytoes55]

I wish I lived closer, I would be there in a heart beat!! I'd love to see the exhibit..

[shsbk58]

WHO KEEPS THAT KIND OF THING?

[shsbk58]

WHO KEEPS THAT KIND OF THING?

[saturn05]

WHY????

[jackette-2009]

I've actually seen this as part of a Lennon exhibit at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame a few years back. If they're doing the same thing it's really nothing - just a brown evidence paperbag. That itself didn't have any real impact - however they did have on display the glasses (can't recall if they were regular or sun) that he was wearing when he was killed - uncleaned. But given that around 25 years (at that time) had passed even that didn't have much of an impact. And even at that the items were displayed in a closed enclosure that you had to walk up to and look into "small" windows to see what was there.

[flolake]

"Ono says Lennon's death still haunts her nearly 30 years later: "I still get affected by it."

I think the bloody clothe$ are waaaaay over the top. And the concept, after all thi$ time, lean$ toward being vulgar.

[u-r-right]

I wonder if the exhibit show the golden horseshoe that was up her bum the day she met John? Or the pile of dollar signs that that popped out of her head?

[ramos1129]

Let's be clear about this. Yoko is doing this for money pure and simple. It costs big time to live the good life in NYC and she does not want to go to work or no one will hire her.

[rbstrcklnd]

I disagree with you both. It's disgusting. And sorry, our children don't need anymore visuals on the deadly results of violence.

[Sebastian Michael]

I disagree with Barbara. Ono doesn't need anyone's bucks. Believe me!
Both John and Yoko have always had an interesting way of expressing themselves, we all know this.
In this day and age, I think it is important to visually impact our youth on the deadly results of violence!

[barbaraf4]

Good old Yoko - she still knows how to make a buck.