Fans are paying heartfelt tributes to John Lennon on what would have been his 80th birthday.
The Beatles star quickly became a musical titan for his pioneering songwriting with Paul McCartney, making the band the most popular of the 20th century.
But there was widespread shock, anger and upset on the second Monday of December 1980, when Lennon was murdered.
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As his musical legacy lives on, here we look back at the tragedy.
How and when did John Lennon die?
John Lennon was shot four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver as he entered his luxury Manhattan apartment building on 8 December 1980.
The then 40-year-old was rushed to hospital but was losing huge amounts of blood and died en route.
His killer, Mark David Chapman, was an obsessed fan who had received an autograph from Lennon hours earlier.
Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono watched on as the star’s life was snatched away. Mourners spent weeks outside his apartment.
Who killed John Lennon?
Obsessed fan Mark David Chapman shot Lennon and was jailed for life without parole.
Last month, Chapman was denied parole for the eleventh time following a hearing before the parole board at the Wende Correctional Facility in New York.
He told the board he shot the singer “for self-glory” and that he thinks about the “despicable act” all the time.
“I just want to reiterate that I’m sorry for my crime,” Chapman told the parole board.
“I have no excuse. This was for self-glory. I think it’s the worst crime that there could be to do something to someone that’s innocent.
“He was extremely famous. I didn’t kill him because of his character or the kind of man he was. He was a family man. He was an icon. He was someone that spoke of things that now we can speak of and it’s great.”
Accepting he may never be released, he added: “I assassinated him, to use your word earlier, because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish.”
How are fans marking John Lennon’s 80th birthday?
Events and tributes are taking place across the world to mark 9 October 2020, which would have been Lennon’s 80th birthday, including a light ceremony at New York’s Empire State Building.
The city of Liverpool is launching a worldwide contest to find a successor to Imagine, John Lennon’s classic song, in a bid to lift spirits during the pandemic.
The competition, marking the Beatle’s 80th birthday on Friday, might appear daunting to many aspiring musicians.
Liverpool will undertake a global search to “find another great songwriter to inspire and brighten Lennon’s home town as it faces one of the darkest times in its history” amid the coronavirus crisis.
The Liverpool International Song For Kindness Contest is seeking an anthem that will follow the example of Imagine and “raise spirits and inspire hope and goodwill as the city plans its recovery.”
