One of the scary and saddest moments in Ringo's life

 

December 9, 1980 

Surviving Beatles shocked by Former Mate's Death (1980)

 

Surviving Beatles Shocked by Former Mate's Death

By Jeff Bradly 

Associated Press

December 9, 1980 

    The three surviving Beatles were in deep shock and mourning today over the slaying of their former partner, John Lennon. "I can't take it in at the moment," said Paul McCartney, the man who, with Lennon, formed one of popular music's greatest songwriting teams. He was visibly upset as he drove away from his Sussex farmhouse in southern England.

     "Ringo Starr broke off a vacation to fly to the United States", said a spokesman for his record company. "He's extremely shocked. He doesn't want to say any more."

     George Harrison, the fourth of the Fab Four who revolutionized pop music in the 1960s, was reported to be deeply upset and was said to have canceled a recording session scheduled for today.

     McCartney, looking pale and dressed in a dark jacket, told reporters, "John was a great guy. He's going to be missed by the whole world."  McCartney left his rural home with his wife, Linda, and one of their children. He reportedly was headed for London, where he had a recording session scheduled for today. "Because of Lennon's death, McCartney's plans were now uncertain," according to a spokesman in McCartney Productions Ltd.

     In his native Liverpool, Lennon's death caused dismay and anger. "It's bloody terrible, bloody terrible," said John Chambers, head of the local Beatles fan club.

     Like the music he wrote and sang, words of Lennon's slaying flashed around the world, stunning a generation of fans raised on the Beatlemania explosion. 

    Hundreds gathered outside the stately apartment building on New York's Upper West Side, where Lennon was felled by an assassin's bullet Monday night.  Some wept, others softly sang the lyrics of Lennon's songs or played tapes of the legendary rock group.

    The brother of Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said in Japan today that he was prepared to leave for the United States in an effort to persuade his sister to return to her native country, where she "doesn't have to worry about gunshots anymore."  Keisuke Ono said he was deeply shocked and saddened by his brother-in-law's death. "He was a really good man, a good father, a good husband, and a good friend." Ono said other members of the Ono family were in mourning at the residence in Fujisawa, 30 miles southwest of Tokyo, he added.

     The London New Standard newspaper lashed out at American gun laws in an editorial tribute to the slain superstar. "His meaningless murder is increasingly typical of New York and of the United States in general, where the freedom to carry guns has brought forth monsters." The paper said Lennon's reputation and achievement will remain secure in the memory of "all those to whom the music of the Beatles came as a delight and revelation."

    Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, spoke today of the deepest affection she always retained for John. "His death was tragic", she said. Commenting in Ruthland, Wales, where she is remarried, and running a restaurant called Oliver's Bistro, she said the news was particularly hard on 17-year-old Julian Lennon, the son she had with the Beatle. Cynthia, now Mrs. John Twist, has had custody of Julian since her 1968 divorce from Lennon.

     In London. Alan Williams, the Beatles' first manager, said Lennon was "a great musician" and urged the city of Liverpool, the group's hometown, to commemorate the group with a statue. The proposal has been made repeatedly by the quartet's fans, but municipal officials in the big port in western England have always turned it down. "Surely, the pop world owes something to the name of the Beatles and especially John, and there should be a statue in their hometown," Williams said. He said Lennon was "aggressive, a very strong character. He wouldn't suffer fools gladly."

John's haircut

Photos by Annie Lebowitz

 December 8, 1980

The day that ended the worst way possible started off really great.  John got a haircut to look like a Teddy Boy/Rock n Roller from the 1950s.  It sort of fit the "(Just Like) Starting Over song."   So tragic that these were the only photos we got to see of his new hairstyle.  

Mama Beatle Says Lives Threatened (1980)

 'Mama Beatle' Says Lives Threatened

By Roger Kaye

Fort- Worth Star Telegram

December 9, 1980 

    "John Lennon and the Beatles lived in fear for their lives during their 1964 and '65 tours of North America,  and especially, were fearful of making a 1964 stopover in Dallas", says Ruby Hickman. As an executive with the airline that provided the charter plane for those tours, Ms Hickman of Fort Worth accompanied Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Sara, and George Harrison on those tours, and she vividly recalls the concern the four Beatles had for their safety. 

    The slaying of Lennon in New York Monday night painfully reminded Ms. Hickman of those tumultuous mid-60s days when death threats, bomb scares, and other threats of harm seemingly awaited the Beatles wherever they went.

    But never were the Beatles more concerned than when they went to Dallas to play a show at what was then known as Dallas Memorial Stadium. "We went to Dallas less than a year after President Kennedy had been killed. There, with all the threats they had gotten everywhere else, which made them literally live in fear of their own lives, they were frightened. 

    "They were frightened the whole tour about going into Dallas", Ms. Hickman said. The Texas trip wasn't without incident. Along with the usual bomb threat, one overzealous Beatle fan managed to jump on Ringo Starr in a hotel elevator, pulling out a big chunk of his hair and bloodying his scalp.

     "But there were murders and bomb threats everywhere we went," Ms Hickman added. "It was particularly frightening in Houston in 1965 when we couldn't get out of the airplane on the runway. A mob overpowered the police and packed symmetrically around the plane, from which no one was able to exit." The Beatles finally managed to escape in a catering truck, but Ms. Hickman recalls that the truck was bombarded by rocks, bottles, and shoes. "The Beatles lay flat on the floor through the whole thing," She said. "What they went through is impossible to describe, but they aroused emotions ranging from adulation to murder."

     As a result of what they witnessed a decade and a half ago, Ms Hickman, who was dubbed as the "Mama Beatle" by the media in 1964, wasn't that surprised to hear about Monday's tragedy in New York. "I'm still in a state of shock. I'm stunned, but it's almost something I expected and dreaded, although these years, because of the way I saw them live in fear," she said.  "And it wasn't just the Beatles, it was everybody on those tours. We all feared something might happen because all of the crackpots in the world at the time."

    "It was hard for me to understand why anybody would want to kill them, but professional security people emphasized to me over and over that there were people out there who would do in just do it, just to gain notoriety. And now it has happened."

     The Beatles' final performance was at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. In retrospect, Ms Hickman wonders how the Beatles managed to tour as long as they did. "There were just 1000s and 1000s of people. Wherever they went, they were prisoners of their adulation, and the moms would become hysterical. Someone easily could have been hit by rocks and hurt seriously. We had to sneak them around in ambulances, armored trucks, and any other way we could in order to protect them. It was such an unreal life, and I really admire Lennon for stepping away from it all and breaking the group up in 1970."

John Lennon Lives On

 

No matter how many years have passed since John's murder, just as this sticker on this man's back says -- he lives on.

John's music lives on every day when we listen to it. His message lives on in those of us who believe in it.  And he lives on through his sons Sean and Julian. 

Thank you, John, for all that you have given us. 

Long Live Lennon

 

God Bless John Lennon

 

Missing John

 

I always dread December 8.   There is always just a feeling of sadness hanging around all day.  Even though it has been 42 long years since he was murdered, it sometimes feels like it just happened.  At times it just makes me angry that one person decided to bring a gun across the country and kill John -- his actions took away potential new songs, new albums, concerts, and who knows what else from all of us.  And it took away a husband, a father, and a friend to so many.   It has never made sense to me.  

But thankfully, John's music will never leave us, and it sounds just as good today as it did 42 years ago.  I hope you all take time to remember John in your own way and appreciate the music he left behind for us to enjoy.  

John is gone....

 

This year has been harder than others.   John was just alive on my television screen.  Seeing him in the Get Back documentary was amazing.   He was so funny and handsome.   I felt frustration toward him at times and I felt amazed to be watching him sing and play the guitar.   He was alive.  

December 8th takes me back to the realization that John is not with us in person anymore.   He was murdered.   I will NEVER get over that fact.   

I like the message on this van because it is so true.   John is gone but yes -- his music sure does live on!  

A really difficult day in Ringo's life

 December 9, 1980 

It's a drag.

 

December 9, 1980 --  I have to say that I agree with Paul McCartney.   It's a drag.  

The last photos of John

Photos by Paul Goresh 

 

December 8, 1980

So much sadness is in these photos.   I keep thinking about how these shouldn't be sad photos.  They should just be some typical run of the mill snapshots of John Lennon on his way to the studio.   

I really don't have much more to say.   Like all of you, I love and miss John Lennon.   What more is there to say today? 

A family in mourning

Julian and Cynthia right after hearing the news about John's murder.   Julian flew to New York to be with his brother.    When Yoko sent out the message to everyone, she signed it Yoko and Sean.  Julian was there with her and was angry that he wasn't included in the message as well.    John was his Dad too.

The aftermath

John Lennon was taken from us 38  years ago tonight.   A day doesn't go by that I don't think about John.   I try to always enjoy the music he gave us while he was here (and the new Imagine set has been a great way to celebrate John's music recently), but I can't help but wonder what more he could have given us if he hadn't been so violently taken from us in 1980.     That idea hit me really hard this year when Paul's new album was released.     I tried to be excited about the new Paul item, but I felt a little angry and bitter that John didn't get the chance to release anything new since Milk & Honey in 1984.   

It doesn't surprise me that after John was killed, fans got together to mourn.   It also doesn't surprise me that stores sold out of the new Double Fantasy album or that new fans got to know John and the Beatles after his death.   

So here we are on yet another December 8, and I hope all of you who also love John and appreciate his music, take a small amount of your busy Saturday to celebrate the life of John Lennon. 

Being a John fan -- a 2nd generations fan view

I can't speak for any other Beatles fan out there, but for me personally, December 8 is always a sad day.    This year I tried to remember how John became my favorite Beatle and I thought I would share it with you all tonight.     I realize that being a 2nd generation fan makes my experience vastly different than most of you, so you might find it interesting (or maybe not).


I first became a Beatles fan in 1988.   And like most people when they start to like the Beatles, I couldn't always tell the difference between the four guys in photos much less by the sounds of their singing voices.    I just knew that I really liked the music, and when you have the entire Beatles catalogue available to you -- it is a lot to take in at one time. 

One of the first books I ever purchased about the band was Beatlesongs by William Downing.   It is a pretty good book, especially for new fans because it broke down exactly who wrote what Beatles song, who sang on each song, who played what instrument, etc etc.      So I had this book and I really loved it.    I decided to write down a list of my 10 favorite Beatles songs and then read about the information on those songs.   I wish I still had the notebook with those songs written in them, but I do remember songs included  "All you need is love,"   "A Day in the Life"   "Strawberry Fields Forever,"  "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,"    "Help!" and "Lovely Rita."    Out of the 10 songs I wrote down, 9 of them were Lennon songs.        That actually surprised me, and made me want to find out a little more about the "Lennon" in this Lennon-McCartney partnership.   


I remember looking at some of the photos I had and it was very obvious to me that Paul was "cute" but John was handsome.    John had a physical look that I liked, even at 13 years old. 

My next step was to read a book about John Lennon.    By this time it was about 1990 and the book that I found on the discount table was the hardback version of  The Lives of John Lennon  by Albert Goldman.    I was so far removed from Beatles news and had no idea that there was an entire group of people out there in the world that wrote about the Beatles regularly and had strong opinions about things.   So I didn't know that I was supposed to hate this book.    I didn't know that it was not considered a good book and that droves of fans were protesting it.   I just knew that it was on the discount table at BDalton at the mall and I had enough babysitting money to buy it.     It was the biggest book I had ever read and if liking music from the 1960's, having thick glasses and being shy didn't make me the target of bullies -- then carrying around an extremely thick book and reading it all the time sure sealed the deal.   

But you know what?    After I read this book, I was totally in love with John Lennon.      I don't know what exactly I read that effected me, because I have never re-read the book.     However, after I was finished I knew that John was my favorite Beatle.    I knew that John was always going to be my favorite. 

That leads us to how I found out about what happened on December 8, 1980.    I found out 10 years after the fact by reading the Albert Goldman book.    I knew that John Lennon was no longer alive before I read the book.    But I guess I just assumed that John, like so many other rock stars of the 60's died of drug complications in the late 1970's.    So when I first learned that he had been murdered and was 40 years old, I cried like it had just happened.    Because for me --- it DID just happen.   I had just discovered this complicated, intelligent, handsome man and to learn that he died for absolutely no reason of his own was crushing to me.   

Being a John fan isn't always easy.   From the get-go I felt some pangs of jealousy that Paul, Ringo and at the time George fans could have a chance to see them in person or get a new album from their favorite.    While I will never have that opportunity to experience that excitement for my favorite Beatle.     It isn't easy defending John --- it gets old trying to explain why you still love someone that they say was a "women beater," or for some of the mean things he said in the Rolling Stone interview or for marrying Yoko.     But I always have felt some connection to John that I don't feel towards the other three.   I am proud to be a John Lennon fan and I continue to stand for giving peace a chance.

Miss you John....

The ways we remembered John in 1980

Photo from the collection of Sara Schmidt 

Remember Love 2016

Photo scanned from the collection of Sara Schmidt
Photo taken by Vinnie Zuffante

So we have made it through yet another December 8.   This year has left me feeling very strange.  As you may recall, I turned 40 years old this past October 8th.   My birthday is the day before John Lennon's and so as I woke this morning, I realized that I official have lived longer than John.

I always felt that John died too young, but I guess being the same age that John was when he died, really has put it into perspective just how much life John had to live.   How much life John should have lived.

If nothing else, it has made me want to live the rest of my life to the fullest and not hold regret or angry towards people.   I have had an amazing year in so many ways, but it has always been rough at times.   I need to let go of the things that have brought me down.

I read things that people say such as "John would want us to...."   I have no idea what John would want us to do in 2016.    But it is a strong suspicion that he would still believe in peace.  I think it is our mission as fans of John Lennon to keep his music alive and expose more young people to it and also to treat people of all walks of life with kindness and respect.   Hopefully this will help us someday have some peace in this world.

On a happier note--isn't this photograph precious?

Julian's saddest day

Julian arrived at the Dakota from England after his father's murder.    I can't even begin to comprehend how he must have been feeling when this photo was taken.

John Lennon Forever in Japan

Here is a photo of the  10 minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon that took place in Japan in 1980.   I still think those 10 minutes had to have been the quietest time in world history.

Drag, isn't it?

Most of the world learned about John's death on December 9, 1980, including Paul McCartney.  Paul says about learning of John's murder, "I was at home, and I got a phone call. It was early in the morning.... I think it was like that for everyone. It was just so horrific that you couldn't take it in – I couldn't take it in. Just for days, you just couldn't think that he was gone. So, yeah, it was just a huge shock and then I had to tell Linda and the kids. It was very difficult. It was really difficult for everyone. That was like a really big shock, I think, in most people's lives. A bit like Kennedy, there were certain moments like that."  He goes on to say, "For me it was just so sad that I wasn't going to see him again, and we weren't going to hang out."

As most of us know, Paul went ahead and went into the recording studio that day and says that he listened to  recently recorded material because he simply didn't feel like sitting at home.   He says in his 1984 Playboy interview that when he returned home that evening he sat and watched the news with his children and cried all night.   But before he made it home that evening, reporters shoved a microphone at him and asked him what he thought to which Paul said those famous words, "Drag, isn't it?"    But really what more could McCartney say?   It WAS a drag. 

These photos were taken on December 9, 1980 by Linda McCartney.    They really stand out to me because they aren't the typical clear photos Linda takes.    It is almost as if the photos themselves were mourning as well.