--- title: John Lennon's Death Marked the End of an Era, TIME Wrote in 1980 description: The killing, on Dec. 8, 1980, marked a major social shift canonical: https://time.com/3620623/john-lennon-death/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-08T12:00:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:15.338Z article:section: History og:title: John Lennon's Death Marked the End of an Era, TIME Wrote in 1980 og:description: The killing, on Dec. 8, 1980, marked a major social shift og:url: https://time.com/3620623/john-lennon-death/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b61158d28d9e843/69876d1535ba6f3e0dc05ca6/1101801222_400.jpg?branch=production&width=400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 400 og:image:height: 225 og:image:alt: John Lennon cover og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Lennon's Death Marked the End of an Era, TIME Wrote in 1980 twitter:description: The killing, on Dec. 8, 1980, marked a major social shift twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b61158d28d9e843/69876d1535ba6f3e0dc05ca6/1101801222_400.jpg?branch=production&width=400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why John Lennon's Death Was the End of an Era > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=c2068b14-1bfb-4fe4-9a46-feeb8ab9ffb1&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=c2068b14-1bfb-4fe4-9a46-feeb8ab9ffb1&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 10 Questions for Yoko Ono [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Questions for Yoko Ono](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/w8V3kv0s.m3u8) (5:56)  _Published 2013-09-04. Yoko Ono talks to TIME about her new album, working with her son, and why she's still an activist_  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Dec 8, 2014 12:00 PM UTC  The Dec. 22, 1980, cover of TIME The Dec. 22, 1980, cover of TIME TIME  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Dec 8, 2014 12:00 PM UTC John Lennon’s death 34 years ago today triggered the same shock and outpouring of grief as the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. So wrote critic Jay Cocks for his 1980 TIME cover story about the legacy of the late Beatle and his death by the hands of Mark David Chapman. The touching tribute — comments from Bruce Springsteen that are included in the piece may bring tears to your eyes — featured one memorable quote from Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono: “This is not the end of an era,” she said in the days after he was killed. “The ’80s are still going to be a beautiful time, and John believed it.” But in his piece, Cocks makes the case for why Ono’s words were more wishful thinking than a truthful declaration. The band had broken up a decade before, but Lennon’s death signaled a shift more serious than the Beatles’ dissolution ever did. After all, the music of the Beatles would be around indefinitely, whether or not the band continued to record together. When Lennon died at age 40, however, everyone who had grown up with the Beatles was approaching middle age too. In addition to their sadness about Lennon’s death, they could not ignore their own mortality. “For everyone who cherished the sustaining myth of the Beatles,” Cocks wrote, “the murder was something else. It was an assassination, a ritual slaying of something that could hardly be named. Hope, perhaps; or idealism. Or time. Not only lost, but suddenly dislocated, fractured.” There was an innocence and idealism to Beatles songs, Cocks explained, that stood in stark contrast to how Lennon died. Even kids could sense the loss: “I recognize the end of an era — my mom’s,” 16-year-old Gretchen Steininger told TIME. In the days after Lennon died, a Florida teenager and a 30-something man in Utah committed suicide and left notes behind that referenced depression over Lennon’s death. Mark David Chapman is still alive. He’s now 59, and he’s been [denied parole eight times](http://time.com/3162197/john-lennon-killer-mark-david-chapman-parole/) — the most recent was August of this year — since he was imprisoned in 1981\. (Ono has publicly campaigned against his release.) “At that time, I wasn’t thinking about anybody else, just me,” [said Chapman](http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/08/27/lennons-killer-parole-board-hearing-transcript/14704367/), who can try again in 2016, at this year’s hearing. “But now, you know, obviously through people’s letters and through things I hear a lot of people were affected here. I am sorry for causing that type of pain. I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory.” **_Read the full 1980 cover story about John Lennon, here in the TIME Vault:_** [When the Music Died](http://time.com/vault/issue/1980-12-22/page/1/) _Read next:_ [_Paul McCartney Thankful for Repaired Friendship Before John Lennon’s Death_](http://time.com/3622655/paul-mccartney-john-lennon-friendship/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript >> Yoko Ono has been making art for more than 50 years and shows no sign of slowing down. In the last year alone, she has released a new book. There's been a major of museum retrospective of her work and she curated the Meltdown, festival of music and art in London. Her latest effort, a new album from Yoko Ono Plastic Ono band comes out September 17th and it's called, " Take Me Too The Land of Hell ". Thank so much for being here with us. >> Hi, Lily. >> So, as I mentioned. This year you've been incredibly creative and even just in the last few months. What prompted such an out flowing of creativity? >> Well, you know, when I have time to do those things and I get inspired, I just do it, you know. >> And how is your creative process evolve over the course of your career? >> My feeling is, you know, that voices this particular album, is the best album I did in 80 years. And also, you know, the book Acorn-- I was a bit nervous about it so I read it again, re- read and so-- well it's not so bad. >> Do you feel that way about most of your work? >> Actually I do. >> So on your new album coming out September 17th, you have some great collaborations with people like Questlove, how does that come about for you? >> It just happen naturally 'cause they're friends and they just wanna do things, you know, with me. >> And your son is the producer on the album. What it's like to work with him? >> He produces me, my son and Yuka Honda who's [ unk ] person and she's a very good too. I think that it worked up very well and my son always said, " Well, I have to be the music director ." And I said, " Okay, okay, you know ." And surprise, surprise. The fact that he's a music director really made a big difference. He's incredibly good at it. >> Is your professional relationship similar to your mother- son relationship? >> Well, it seems like, you know, we are both very professional so that the-- we consider each other in many ways and [ unk ] step on each other. >> So a lot of people first got to know you as John Lennon's wife and then as his widow. >> Yes. >> How much is he still a part of your life today? >> Well, I'm proud of it. I'm proud that I was his wife and I am still in a way, you know. I'm working on his work to. I think that the fact that I'm doing that as well as my work, I feel a little pride about it. >> And on the new album. There's a song, " Little boy blue, your Daddy's gone ." Is that at all about your own son, Sean? >> Yes. Well, that was just a song to him, in a way, because I really understand what he have to go through and when John and I had-- was gonna have Sean, we're so-- " Oh, it'll be great for him ." Anybody who is John and Yoko's child should be very, very happy, you know. But we didn't realize. We really haven't realized that it could be very difficult for him and it was and it is in a way. >> So you're very active in a lot of causes from anti- fracking to autism awareness. How do you decide which causes are worth getting involved in? >> Well, within my heartbeat-- and then so, " well, I gotta do this one ." I mean, that's anti- fracking. It was very important for me and I'm still at it actually. >> And in terms of that activism, I mean it's been 40 years since give peace a chance and war is still, you know, such a big part of the world. Do you ever get frustrated or feel like, you know, things will never improve? >> Oh, we're still here and you see that people say, " Well, look. What's happening now? I mean, you said that it's gonna be okay ." Well, it's gonna be okay but it's taking me a little time, more time that I thought. >> And so the title of the new album is " Take Me To The Land Of Hell ." What is the land of hell mean to you? Is it literal or-- >> Well, I think The Rolling Stones sort of asked me to write something about John, so John and me or something. In that, I would say, well-- you know, maybe people feel that they're in heaven when they have a beautiful love relationship. We felt that our heaven was in hell because hell was created by people, flaws in a way. But we still have heave between us and when I look around, I feel that many people are much more interested in making money and trying to be famous or something like that and I think it'd be like, I would like to see people to have some relationship that is pure and passionate and beautiful. I think people scared of doing having there I think now. And especially guys, I think-- >> So, do you think you'll ever retire? >> I never thought of it. I think that things started to open up for me now so it would so silly to retire now, you know, because it's like my second life is opening up and I could do so much, you know. And this started to happen like when I became 70. I felt that-- " Wow, it's great, you know ." And I just like people to know especially women to know because, you know, I was thinking. " Oh, I'm going to be 44, what am I going to do ?" Well, 70 was great. Eighty is even better. >> Great. 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