Remembering John Lennon

Today we remember music icon John Lennon on what would have been his 75th birthday. As one-fourth of the musical phenomena The Beatles, John rose to worldwide fame and went on to become a vocal anti-war activist and supporter of peace. His song “Imagine” became the best selling single of his solo career. Though he died in 1980 at the age of 40, his legacy continues to endure and inspire new generations.

Image: Library of Congress

In honor of his 75th birthday, here are some interesting facts about John Lennon:

1. He was born John Winston Lennon on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. He was named after his paternal grandfather, John “Jack” Lennon and then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

2. John was raised by his aunt and uncle, Mimi and George Smith. At the age of 4, his parents separated. John would not see his father again for 20 years. His mother visited often and taught him how to play the banjo and the piano. The first song he learned to play was “Ain’t That a shame” by Fats Domino.

Image: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

3. At the age of 15, he formed the skiffle group, the Quarrymen. It was at the Quarrymen’s second performance that he first met Paul McCartney and invited him to join the group. John and Paul would form one of the most celebrated song-writing partnerships in music history.

4. He met his first wife, Cynthia Powell, while in college. A poor student, John was expelled from school before his final year.

5. John and his wife Cynthia had one son together, Julian. He was named after his mother, Julia. Born in the midst of Beatlemania, John was on tour at the time of his son’s birth. During John and Cynthia’s divorce, Paul McCartney wrote Julian a song that would evolve into the Beatles’ hit “Hey Jude.”

Image: Wikimedia Commons

6. After The Beatles’ historic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the band had a two-year period of constant touring, moviemaking and songwriting. During this time, Lennon wrote two books, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works.

7. In 1965, the Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire.

Image: Nationaal Archief / Wikimedia Commons

8. On March 20, 1969, John married avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. The couple spent their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam hotel protesting the Vietnam War with a Bed-In for Peace.

Image: An old passport / Wikimedia Commons

9. John shares his birthday with his son with Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon. Sean was born on John’s 35th birthday, October 9, 1975. After his birth, John became a stay-at-home dad.

10. Under the Nixon administration, the U.S. government tried to have John deported for his anti-war activities.

11. Later in life, John discovered he was dyslexic. He was also considered legally blind without his glasses.

12. When asked what lyric he was most proud to have written, John answered, “all you need is love.”

Explore John Lennon’s family tree on Geni!