John Lennon Lives on in the Memory of Friends and Family 34 Years After His Death
It started out as a normal day: a hair-cut at his nearby barbershop followed by a ‘Rolling Stone’ photoshoot and a recording session in Midtown.
But Dec. 8, 1980, ended tragically when John Lennon was fatally shot outside the Dakota, the NYC apartment building where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their then-5-year-old son, Sean. John was 40-years-old.
John and his wife, Yoko.
Fans flocked to the scene within hours to mourn the rock legend, many leaving flowers and other personal tributes — a tradition that survives to this day.
Related Story: Making Amends: Paul McCartney & Yoko Ono Put Past ‘Beatles’ Feud Behind Them
The fascination with John’s life and music has endured though the decades — and now the producers of his last in-depth TV interview share their intimate memories of the former ‘Beatle.’
On April 28, 1975, the studio at Rockefeller Center was abuzz: John was there to be interviewed by Tom Snyder on NBC’s ‘The Tomorrow Show.’
John with his ‘Beatles’ bandmates in January 1963.
“He was someone we’d wanted to have on forever,” recalls segment producer Pam Burke. “Finally, it worked out.”
The biggest surprise that evening was how relaxed and down-to-earth John turned out to be. “He was a major personality, probably the biggest star we’d ever had on the show,” says producer Joel Tator. “But John was very quiet, shy. There was no special requests, no theatrics. I think Yoko had a lot to do with that. She grounded him.”