January 19, 1994 The Ninth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held in New York City. Inductees include The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Rod Stewart. Axl Rose performs "Come Together" at the ceremony with Bruce Springsteen - it is Axl's last public appearance until 1998.
March 9, 1987 Sam Cooke, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Carole King & Gerry Goffin, and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil are all inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
October 9, 1985 On what would have been John Lennon's 45th birthday, a section of Central Park in New York City is christened "Strawberry Fields" in his memory.More
August 24, 1981 Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon, is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. He is repeatedly denied parole.
June 22, 1981 Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to the murder of John Lennon six months earlier. Two months later, he is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
January 22, 1981 The John Lennon tribute issue of Rolling Stone is published with the famous Annie Leibovitz photo of a naked Lennon embracing a fully-clothed Yoko Ono. Lennon's full interview is not published by the magazine until 2010.More
December 27, 1980 Weeks after his death, John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" goes to #1 in America.More
December 20, 1980 "(Just Like) Starting Over" gives John Lennon his first #1 single as a solo artist in the UK, 12 days after his murder.
December 14, 1980 At Yoko Ono's request, a 10-minute worldwide silent vigil takes place at 2:00 p.m. EST for John Lennon, who was shot and killed six days earlier. Lennon was cremated without a funeral, so the vigil is the public outpouring of support and mourning. A large crowd gathers in Central Park near where Lennon lived with Yoko to take part; this becomes a tradition on each anniversary of Lennon's death.
December 8, 1980 John Lennon, 40 years old, is shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City.More
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