Overview
- John Lennon was shot outside the Dakota in New York on December 8, 1980, and was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m. at Roosevelt Hospital.
- Hours earlier he posed for Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone, gave a radio interview, and worked at Record Plant Studio while promoting the album Double Fantasy.
- Mark David Chapman had obtained Lennon's autograph that day, then waited and fired five shots as Lennon returned home, and he was arrested at the scene while reading The Catcher in the Rye.
- Chapman confessed and was convicted of second-degree murder in 1981, receiving a sentence of 20 years to life and remaining incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility.
- In his 2025 parole hearing he said he sought notoriety by targeting a famous figure, the board rejected release again, and memorials such as Strawberry Fields reflect Lennon’s enduring legacy.