Mark David Chapman of Honolulu, Chapman had shaken hands with Sean Lennon, and John had autographed Chapman's newly-purchased copy of Double Fantasy. Chapman remained in the vicinity of the Dakota for most of the day, later sneaking into the building's carriage vestibule as a fireworks demonstration at around 9pm in nearby Central Park distracted the attentions of the doorman and passers-by in the street.
Later that evening, at 10:50 pm, Lennon and Ono returned by limousine to the apartment building from recording Ono's single 'Walking On Thin Ice' for their next album. Chapman was hiding in the carriage vestibule as Lennon and Ono got out of the car. As Lennon walked past him, Chapman called out from the darkness 'Mr. Lennon!', then moving forward pulled out a gun, which police later described as a Charter Arms .38. He assumed what witnesses called a 'combat stance'—a crouched position with gun in both hands—and fired five shots just as Lennon was turning around.
Most reliable accounts state that three of the bullets struck Lennon in the back and arm. He yelled 'I'm shot, I'm shot', and ran a few steps towards the building before collapsing in the entranceway from the vestibule. A security guard immediately called 911; Lennon remained conscious as police from a nearby station arrived within minutes, but already he was in a dire state, bleeding to death on the floor. Unable to wait for an ambulance, two officers hastily carried Lennon to the back of their squad car, reportedly hearing his bones cracking, and sped to nearby Roosevelt Hospital. One of the officers, obviously trying to help Lennon maintain consciousness, asked the dying man who he was. Lennon's final words were reported to have been 'I'm John Lennon of the Beatles', however it is more likely that the officers' initial reports are more accurate and that he simply answered 'Yeah' when asked if he was John Lennon.
Meanwhile, Chapman made no attempt to flee. He paced up and down the sidewalk reading The Catcher in the Rye until police arrived. He surrendered immediately and told the police he had acted alone. News reporters from New York's WABC interviewed one police officer who described Chapman 'as a whacko'. Other policemen referred to him as a 'local screwball'. After arriving at the hospital, doctors worked frantically to revive the fading Lennon, resorting to massaging his heart, but to no avail. He died of cardiac arrest shortly after 11 pm as a result of having lost nearly 80% of his blood volume. Reportedly, the song playing in the hospital at the moment of Lennon's death was a Beatles hit, 'All My Loving'. A crowd was already gathering in the Roosevelt Hospital courtyard, some of the people on their knees in prayer. A young man led the Rosary.
Ono was the first to be told the news of Lennon's death, to which she reportedly remarked 'tell me it isn't true.' Later, in a press conference held in the Roosevelt Hospital courtyard, Dr. Stephan Lynn confirmed the news that John Lennon, founder of The Beatles, was dead. 'Extensive resuscitative efforts were made,' he said, 'but in spite of transfusions and many procedures, he could not be resuscitated.' Millions more would receive the sad news from Howard Cosell, commentator for ABC's Monday Night Football, as the game wrapped up that night.
Memorial
Hundreds, if not thousands of people gathered in the street outside the Dakota the night of Lennon's death. They lit candles, laid down flowers near the gate, and sang Lennon's best known songs. 'He was a symbol of peace,' one mourner said in an interview with WABC's Shelly Sonstein, 'and the whole movement of realization'. Back in the apartment, Ono was grateful to the people but sent word that their singing kept her awake; she asked that they disperse and re-convene in Central Park on the following Sunday, December 14, at 2pm EST for ten minutes of silent prayer. Her request for a silent gathering was honoured all over the world.
A special commemorative issue of Rolling Stone magazine released shortly after the murder featured as its cover a photo taken the very morning of the shooting by Annie Leibovitz. It showed a nude Lennon spooned in an embryonic pose next to a fully clothed Ono, and giving her a serene, seemingly farewell kiss as she lies on their bed. It symbolized one last time Lennon's attachement to Ono, his dependence on her, and his disregard for what others may say of their relationship. It is a poignant photograph considering the fate that would befall him hours later.
Millions of Beatles fans had thought of John Lennon almost as a second father, an older brother, or a son. His murder touched off emotional outpourings of grief around the world; some fans reportedly committed suicide upon hearing the news and it ended the hopes of millions that The Beatles would someday reunite and stage one last world tour. The Strawberry Fields Memorial was constructed in Central Park across the street from the Dakota, in memory of Lennon. It has become something of a shrine to Lennon, all the Beatles, and the cultural memory of the 1960s. When George Harrison died in 2001, people congregated on the 'Imagine' mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields.
In 1988, Warner Bros. produced a documentary film, Imagine: John Lennon (sanctioned in part by Yoko Ono). The movie was a biography of the former Beatle, featuring interviews, rarely seen musical material, and narration by Lennon himself (formed from interviews and tapes recorded by Lennon). It also introduced 'Real Love', one of the last songs composed by Lennon, in an early raw demo (a later demo would form the basis for the version rehashed by The Beatles for The Beatles Anthology). The following year, at an auction of Beatles memorabilia, Lennon's jukebox was sold at Christie's for 2,500 pounds. The Mellotron that Lennon used to record, amongst other songs, Strawberry Fields Forever, is currently owned by Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails.
Specially selected radio stations aired a syndicated series called The Lost Lennon Tapes in 1990. Hosted by Lennon publicist Elliot Mintz, the show spotlighted raw sessions from throughout Lennon's career with and without The Beatles, including rare material never released to the public. During the America: A Tribute to Heroes concert on September 21, 2001, Neil Young sang 'Imagine'. An avowed devotee of Lennon, Young's performance is considered one of the highlights of his lengthy career.In March, 2002, his native city, Liverpool, honored his memory by renaming their airport 'Liverpool John Lennon Airport', and adopting as its motto a line from his song 'Imagine', 'Above us only sky'. In the same year, Lennon was voted 8th by the British public in the '100 Greatest Britons' poll run by the BBC. BBC History Magazine commented that his 'generational influence is immense'.In 2004 Madonna paid tribute to Lennon by singing a cover of the song 'Imagine' during her anti-war themed 'Re-Invention World Tour'.