What year did John Lennon die?

John Lennon died in 1980. He was fatally shot outside the Dakota apartment building in New York City on December 8, 1980, at age 40.

Lennon had been returning home with Yoko Ono when Mark David Chapman shot him. Lennon was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. Chapman remained at the scene and was arrested; he later received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

The year can be confused with other major dates in Lennon's career. The Beatles officially broke up in 1970, Lennon released the album Imagine in 1971, and he returned to recording with Double Fantasy in 1980. Double Fantasy was released only weeks before his death and later won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Lennon’s death had an immediate worldwide impact and prompted memorials, vigils and renewed attention to his music. Central Park’s Strawberry Fields memorial, dedicated in 1985, commemorates him near the Dakota. His widow, Yoko Ono, continues to be closely associated with the memorial and with preserving Lennon’s artistic legacy.