John Lennon's Last Autograph

For many years, the last autograph of John Lennon was believed to be on the Double Fantasy record album featuring Yoko Ono and John Lennon.  Lennon signed the album for Mark David Chapman in front of the Dakota apartment building in New York City, where Lennon and Ono had lived for many years. Recently, this autographed album has come up for sale.  Only five hours later, on December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed Lennon.  The shooting death of John Lennon shocked the world.

However, the infamous album signed by John Lennon for Chapman was not his last autograph.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono signed a paper with drawings of Lennon and Ono for a switchboard operator at Record Plant Studios on 44th Street in New York City just prior to returning to their Dakota apartment at 10:49 pm.  Mark David Chapman was waiting for them near the entrance to the Dakota apartments.

Only fifteen minutes after leaving Record Plant Studios, Chapman shot and killed John Lennon.  Chapman fired five bullets at Lennon; four of the five bullets hit Lennon in the back.  Chapman held onto a copy of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye until police arrived and arrested him.  Lennon was taken to nearby Roosevelt Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:07 pm.

The world will never know how many more wonderful songs were waiting to be composed by John Lennon.   John Lennon’s music and his signed documents are the lasting reminder of one of the most influential musicians of our time.