John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon is reflecting on his father’s legacy and the responsibility he feels to share John’s music with the world.
The Beatles legend was shot and killed outside of his New York City residence, the Dakota, by Mark David Chapman on Dec. 8, 1980. He was 40 years old when he died and would have been 84 on his upcoming birthday — October 9.
Ahead of the milestone, Sean, 48, whose mother is Yoko Ono, spoke to The Sunday Times about his father and his music as he promoted the re-release of John’s 1973 solo album Mind Games, which dropped on July 12.
Per the outlet, some of the new mixes of the tracks deliberately amplify John’s voice, while others focus on certain instrumental elements.
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“One thing that distinguishes my dad’s solo career is how personal his lyrics became,” Sean — who was 5 when his father died — told the outlet. “It is like a diary, and it is my duty to bring attention to my father’s music. Not just my duty to him, but a duty to the world.”
“With the world as it is now, people have forgotten so many things that I never imagined could be forgotten. I refuse to let that happen to this music — it means too much to me,” he added.
According to The Sunday Times, John was going through a difficult time in his life when he made Mind Games and was living in Los Angeles, having left his wife at the time, Ono, now 91, at her suggestion for the couple’s assistant May Pang.
“I wondered if he’d ever make it back to New York,” John’s friend, photographer Bob Gruen told The Sunday Times. “I thought he might get a place in Hawaii, or just die.”
John did return to New York in 1974 for the final six years of his life. Gruen recalled that the singer was trying to put the pieces of his life together.
“He didn’t die in an accident or of a disease. His death broke my trust in everything. He was grounded at the time. He learnt [sic] a lot from raising his son, about enjoying his life and being sober,” Gruen continued.
“Everyone gets the time they get, and he got eight years longer than Jesus,” he added.
