Photo: Jack Mitchell, CC BY-SA 3.0

John Lennon

1940 – 1980 · died at about 40^[1][2]

Music

Fun Facts About John Lennon

• John Lennon's middle name honored Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He was born John Winston Lennon and later became John Winston Ono Lennon.^[1][3][4]
• Lennon first met Paul McCartney at a church garden fête in Woolton, at only the second performance of his band, the Quarrymen.^[1]
• Lennon's Aunt Mimi, who raised him, often told him: "The guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it."^[1]
• Lennon returned his MBE medal to the Queen in protest, but it made no difference: only the Sovereign can annul the award.^[1]
• Lennon promised Elton John he would join him on stage if "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" reached number one. It did, and he appeared at Madison Square Garden.^[1]
• Lennon's only role in a non-Beatles feature film was in the anti-war black comedy How I Won the War.^[1]
• John Lennon was alive at the same time as Rabindranath Tagore — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1940–1941).^[1][2][5][6]
• John Lennon and Golda Meir died on the same day of the year, December 8.^[1][2][7][8]

John Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.^[1]

Contemporaries

Georgia O'Keeffe

40 yr overlap

Jorge Luis Borges

40 yr overlap

Alfred Hitchcock

40 yr overlap

Hirohito

40 yr overlap

Bob Hope

40 yr overlap

Salvador Dalí

40 yr overlap

Jean-Paul Sartre

40 yr overlap

Simone de Beauvoir

40 yr overlap

Dorothy Hodgkin

40 yr overlap

Mother Teresa

40 yr overlap

Akira Kurosawa

40 yr overlap

Jacques Cousteau

40 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About John Lennon

When was John Lennon born?

John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, and died on December 8, 1980.

How old was John Lennon at death?

John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, and died on December 8, 1980, at age 40.

What was John Lennon known for?

John Lennon was known for: The Beatles, Imagine. John Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

Who was alive at the same time as John Lennon?

John Lennon's closest contemporary was Georgia O'Keeffe. Their lives overlapped for 40 years.