John Lennon: 30 Year Anniversary of Murder by Mark David Chapman
NEW YORK (CBS/WCBS) Thirty years ago, gunshots on the Upper West Side of New York ended the life of Beatle and activist John Lennon and sent the world into mourning.
PICTURES: Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's Killer
His music, life and tragic death influenced, uplifted and devastated an entire generation, so it is no surprise that Lennon, murdered by deranged fan Mark David Chapman, is as relevant as ever.
Rolling Stone magazine, releasing for the first time a nine hour interview conducted with Lennon just three days before his death, shows us a Lennon who, at the time, was still full of life, introspective, but also fed up with what he viewed as the unrealistic expectations of critics who were not happy with his life choices.
In eerie foreshadowing, he said "What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I'm not interesting in being a dead hero, so forget them, forget them."
CBS affiliate WCBS reports that Lennon did his best to live as an ordinary New Yorker. At his home at the famed Dakota on Manhattan's Upper West Side, he dove into family life with wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean.
However, he also remained a dedicated and controversial activist.
At Central Park Wednesday, what was once a playground is a place for thousands of New Yorkers and other fans who gather annually at the Imagine Memorial in Strawberry Fields to honor Lennon.
30 Years Later, Lennon Still Has Things to Say
PICTURES: Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's Killer
PICTURES: Remembering John Lennon
PICTURES: The Beatles
PICTURES: Celebrity Stalkers
