Tomorrow sees the 26th Anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Here is the events of that tragic day
Double Fantasy had already been released and was doing pretty well in the charts. I don't think it had reached #1 in the charts until after John's death though. He was going about his usual buisness, giving interviews and was having pictures taking. To him, it was just a normal Monday.
He was going into the studio later that day with Yoko to work on her upcoming release "Walking on thin Ice" It would be the last time he would ever enter the studio again.
A man who lived in Hawaii had traveled to New York City with a mission in his mind. He was not going to give up until this mission was accomplished. He would kill John Lennon.
What made this even more erie was that he had traveled there before to kill him and did not. When Mark David Chapman flew to New York City the second time, he accomplished his dream.
As John Lennon was leaving The Dakota Building early on the day of December 8th, he was approached by what he thought was a fan. As usual John obliged with an autograph. Mark had asked him, "John, will you sign this?" and John said "Sure, no problem". And he signed it with Mark's pen. After he had signed it, He asked Mark "Is that all you want?" and then He asked it again, "Is that all you want?" and Mark replied with a yes, "Yes, thank you John."
Mark said Yoko was already in the limo and John then went and entered the car and they drove away. He said he remembers feeling the sweat from his hand that was around the base of the .38 revolver. He had placed a piece of cardboard in front of the gun that was in his pocket to shield it from being noticed.
He said, "Here is a man who was just kind enough to give me his autograph on his album, and was going to be dead and didnt even know it" As John Lennon drove away, Mark was upset with himself because he knew he just had the chance and didn't take it. So He deceided to wait and hang around the building until later that evening.
Back at the studio, John and Yoko were getting ready to go and get something to eat before they came home. For some reason they deceided not to. So they got into the limo and went home just like every other day. As they stepped from the car, Yoko had gotten out first and walked past the killer. He just knodded to her, knowing that in seconds, he was going to make her a widow. Then John stepped from the car carrying his tape recorder from the evening's music session. As he walked past, Mark said that he recongnized him. John started walking faster.
"Mr. Lennon?"............... all hell broke loose. Five hollow point bullets sprayed across the entrance, four of them in direct contact with John Lennon and one of them going astray into the glass that was in front of him. John Lennon was bleeding to death.
John managed to stumble up the few steps into the main office and said "I'm shot". And fell flat onto the ground. Yoko was screaming for someone to call for help, her husband was dying.
John was shot so bad that there was blood all over the place. It was coming out of his mouth, hid eyes were un focused as he lay there on the floor. The security officer makes the call. The police are on their way but have no idea who the man is. John is pouring blood out of his mouth, and his wounds.
John Lennon was dead at the age of 40 at 10:55pm on Monday December 8, 1980.
SHOT HAVE BEEN FIRED......WEST 72nd STREET...... As the police rush to 1 West 72nd Street the are totally unaware of who the victim is. As they rush up to the Dakota, they find the gunman. And the dying victim in the main office. As one police officer rushed into the building to take care of the victim, the other was dealing with the suspect.
They knew that the man who was shot did not have long to make it. They threw John into the back of their police car and took off towards Rooservelt Hospital. As they rushed down , they asked the victim, "Do you know who you are?" John was barely able to speak. He just knoded and said "yeah". By this time his body was completely limp. No movement at all.
John was rushed into the emergency room where they opened him up and attepted heart massage. Nothing is working. They are fevershly trying to save this mans life. They did not even know who he was until they had gone threw his belongings and noticed a considerable amount of cash and found his identification card. After repeated attempts to save his life. John Lennon was pronounced dead at 10:45pm. The official cause of death was shock produced by massive haemorrhaging.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/crazydave53/Daves%20Sigs/Lennon.jpg
