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John Lennon’s last day: A gripping NEW eyewitness account on the 30th anniversary of Beatle’s murder.. www,dailymail.uk.co

bishtw

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bishtw

bishtw

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John Lennon’s last day: A gripping NEW eyewitness account on the 30th anniversary of Beatle’s murder

On the morning of December 8, 1980, John Lennon was happy in New York, his adopted home, and looking forward to the future.

Having recently turned 40, he had finally recovered from the years as a Beatle that he so hated. His controversial love affair with Yoko Ono had survived, weathering even John's drunken and womanising 18-month bender in Los Angeles that he'd called his 'Lost Weekend'.

After a five-year 'retirement' as a house-husband, bringing up his son Sean, he had gone back to making records. And he had just learned that his new album in partnership with Yoko, Double Fantasy, had gone gold.

In the words of his old Liverpool friend Gerry Marsden: 'John had found peace at last.'

But by the end of that day, 30 years ago this Wednesday, John would be dead at the hands of deranged former fan Mark Chapman and the world would be in mourning.

This, arguably, is the most comprehensive timeline of that fateful day . . .

10AM It is an unusually warm and sunny pre-Christmas day in New York. John's usual morning routine is to have coffee at Café La Fortuna near his home on New York's Upper West Side. But on Mondays the cafe is closed, so he leaves the family apartment in the Dakota Building around 10am, to get his hair cut in a Fifties Teddy Boy style at a nearby barbershop.

11AM Photographer Annie Leibovitz and her assistant arrive at the Dakota for a photoshoot for Rolling Stone magazine. John tells Leibovitz that he knows Rolling Stone wants him on the cover by himself but it is important to him to pose with Yoko.

The photograph Leibovitz takes of a naked Lennon entwined around Yoko in black, like a child clinging to its mother, is to become iconic. John tells the photographer: 'You've captured our relationship exactly.'

11.45AM Amateur photographer Paul Goresh arrives at the Dakota. Goresh is one of a small group of devoted fans who frequently hang around outside John's home and whom John has got to know and trust. Also waiting is a stranger – 25- year-old Mark Chapman.

As Goresh recalls: 'When I got to the Dakota, the only other person there was a guy standing with a long overcoat with a fur collar and a fur hat. He had a scarf on and he was holding John's album Double Fantasy and he says to me, "Are you waiting for Lennon?"

'And I said, "Yeah." He said, "My name's Mark, I'm from Hawaii." I said, "I'm Paul, I'm from New Jersey." 'He asked, "Do you work for him?" I said, "No." He told me, "I came all the way from Hawaii to get my album signed." So I said, "Where are you staying while you're in the city?" And with that he seemed to change his whole demeanour from like a dope to an aggressive person. And he said, "Why do you want to know?" And I told him, "Go back where you were standing and leave me alone." '

12.40PM A team from RKO Radio in San Francisco, headed by Dave Sholin, arrive at the Dakota to interview Lennon.

'We drive up to the Dakota, which is a very impressive building,' says Sholin today. 'It takes your breath away. And then we were ushered into this incredible space, this beautiful room where you take your shoes off, which is a wonderful custom, sit down on a couch, and Yoko was there. And I looked up at the ceiling and I saw these beautiful clouds that were painted on it.

'Then the door opens and John appears and does this little jump up in the air and says, "Well, here I am, folks, the show's ready to begin."

'He spreads his arms out and comes over. It was like he wanted to make us feel very comfortable and it worked, because in a matter of two or three minutes we were conversing as if I'd known him for years. It was just that kind of chemistry and it was tremendous. In the three-and-a-half hours we were together, he could not have been more upbeat, more excited about what lay ahead – both musically and with Yoko and Sean.'

1.30PM Sean Lennon and his nanny, Helen Seaman, plus Sean's bodyguard, return home after spending the weekend on Long Island.

3.30PM Goresh goes into the Dakota to find out if John has signed a copy of his book A Spaniard In The Works, which Goresh has left for him.

'When I went back to my post outside, the guy with the overcoat was there and he was alone, again on the other side of the archway,' says Goresh.

'He came over and said, "I owe you an apology for the way I acted earlier. But you're in New York. You never know who you can trust these days." '

3.55PM John concludes his interview with Sholin, saying: 'I consider that my work won't be finished until I'm dead and buried and I hope that's a long, long time.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1335829/John-Lennon-NEW-eyewitness-account-30th-anniversary-Beatles-murder.html#ixzz17WiCc7Bq

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bishtw

bishtw

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Mike and Mike was just talking about how the world found out about his death. They said that at the time there was no internet or any other way to get the news out instantly like we do now. It just so happened that a reporter was at the hospital and discovered his death made a phone call and it was announced live over the air on Monday Night Football. I thought that was interesting.

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bishtw

bishtw

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Monday Night Football...Howard Cosell tells the nation that John Lennon has died:

]

Espn just played behind the scenes of that. Howard didn't think that they should announce it and Frank Gifford said that they had to. Then Howard says ok after this play I tell them, then Gifford says this is gonna shake up the world.

This was just one of those few moments in life were people remember were there were when they heard.

---------- Post added December-8th-2010 at 11:43 AM ----------

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5884604

Here is the Audio of when Howard and Frank discuss weather to announce the death over the air during the game.

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Dan T.

Dan T.

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Espn just played behind the scenes of that. Howard didn't think that they should announce it and Frank Gifford said that they had to. Then Howard says ok after this play I tell them, then Gifford says this is gonna shake up the world.

This was just one of those few moments in life were people remember were there were when they heard.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5884604

Here is the Audio of when Howard and Frank discuss whether to announce the death over the air during the game.

I am very surprised at the seeming role reversal of viewpoints there between Cosell and Gifford. I would have guessed Cosell would be the one pressing to announce the news. Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

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