Yoko Ono has posted an emotional tribute to John Lennon on the 39th anniversary of his death.
The former Beatle was shot and killed outside his New York apartment on December 8, 1980. He was 40 years old.
Remembering her late husband, Ono called again for America to change its gun laws before describing the loss of John as a “hollowing experience.”
Ono wrote: “Dear Friends. Every day, 100 Americans are shot and killed with guns. We are turning this beautiful country into a War Zone. Together, let’s bring back America, the green land of peace.”
Ono shared a statistic that revealed over 1,400,000 people have been killed by guns in America since Lennon’s death.
Ono added: “The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 39 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him. Imagine all the people living life in peace.”
The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience.
After 39 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him.
Imagine all the people living life in peace.
Yoko Ono Lennon
8 December 2019#enoughisenough #peace #guncontrolnow #gunviolence #nra #guns #gunsafety #firearms #endgunviolence pic.twitter.com/0CfXkvEO93— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) December 8, 2019
Last year, Paul McCartney attended the anti-gun ‘March For Our Lives’ in remembrance of his former Beatles bandmate.
Speaking to CNN, McCartney said of the march: “This is what we can do, so we’re here to do it. One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right round here so it’s important to me.”
In 2018, Lennon’s killer, Mark Chapman, was once again refused parole.
Speaking to Tim Teeman after Chapman’s the parole board hearing, Ono said she felt Chapman should never be freed and that she still fears the killer.
Ono said: “It’s very, very difficult for me to think about Chapman…Especially because he doesn’t seem to think that was a bad thing to do. One thing I think is that he did it once, he could do it again, to somebody else…it could be me, it could be Sean, it could be anybody, so there is that concern.”
NME’s obituary for John Lennon in 1980 said: “Let’s not allow our grief to turn into a misplaced despair. That was not what John Lennon’s life was for; just the opposite. He said that if The Beatles had any message it was to learn to swim… “Don’t expect John Lennon or Yoko Ono or Bob Dylan or Jesus Christ to come and do it for you. You have to do it yourself.”
If you really loved and believed in John Lennon, that’s exactly what you’ll do. He made something good and valuable and enduring from his life. We should all try and do the same.”
Yoko Ono’s outdoor art installation, the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavík, Iceland, is lit up each year in memory of John from the date of his birthday until the anniversary of his death. You can see live footage from the tower here.
