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John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon) (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) is best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist for the British rock band The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, humorist, artist, actor and author. As half of the legendary Lennon/McCartney songwriting team, he heavily influenced the development of rock music, leading it towards more advanced, multi-layered arrangements, mature lyrical sentiments, and musical eclecticism.

Lennon's songwriting was an integral part of The Beatles' profound commercial and critical impact. His melodies, written during the Lennon-McCartney era, and later, in his solo career, are distinctive and unashamedly romantic. Lennon's lyrics reflected his personal and career demands, philosophical outlook, his unease with his fame and current events. He and McCartney popularized the use of electronic effects in rock music.

He is recognized as one of the greatest music icons of the 20th century and many of his songs, such as "Imagine" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", are often ranked among the best songs in popular music history. In 2002, the BBC conducted a vote to discover the 100 Greatest Britons of all time, and the British public voted Lennon into 8th place. Rolling Stone ranked Lennon #38 on their list of "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" (The Beatles were ranked #1).

John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8 1980 outside of the Dakota apartments in New York City by allegedly psychotic Mark David Chapman. Lennon had autographed a copy of "Double Fantasy" for Chapman earlier that same night. Lennon's death inspired deep grief from the entire world. On December 14, millions of fans around the world participated in a ten-minute silent vigil for Lennon at 2 p.m. EST.

He is the father of musicians Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon.

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