John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born John Winston Lennon; 9
October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English rock musician, singer,
songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the
founding members of The Beatles. As a member of the group, Lennon was one of
the lead vocalists and co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with bassist Paul
McCartney.
In his solo career, Lennon wrote and recorded songs such as "Give Peace
a Chance", "Imagine", "Jealous Guy" and "Instant
Karma!". Lennon revealed his rebellious nature and wit on television, in films
such as A Hard Day's Night, in books
such as In His Own Write, and
in press conferences and interviews. He was controversial through his work as a
peace activist, artist, and author.
Lennon had two sons: Julian Lennon, with his first wife Cynthia Lennon, and Sean
Ono Lennon, with his second wife, avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. After a
self-imposed retirement from 1976 to 1980, Lennon reemerged with a comeback
album, but was murdered one month later in New York City on 8 December 1980. In 2002,
respondents to a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted Lennon into eighth
place. In 2004, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals: The Fifty
Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked The Beatles at number one.