--- description: The late Beatle would have turned 75 on Oct. 9 title: See John Lennon Photos Through the Decades image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8af7bd6a06219fa/6988668be20a878d85a8d947/151001-john-lennon-23.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Photos of John Lennon Through the Decades  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Oct 9, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  John Lennon and Yoko Ono (extreme left) as they attend a rally in Hyde Park, London, England, 1975. John Lennon and Yoko Ono (extreme left) as they attend a rally in Hyde Park, London, England, 1975.Rowland Scherman—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Oct 9, 2015 12:00 PM CUT This Friday, John Lennon would have celebrated a major milestone: his 75th birthday. In honor of that day, take a look back at how Lennon grew from a young boy into a superstar and eventually a peace activist. As TIME’s Jay Cocks wrote after Lennon’s death in 1980, the experiences of his youth would stay with Lennon throughout his musical career: --- > “” --- **_Read more from 1980, here in the TIME Vault:_** [When the Music Died](http://time.com/vault/issue/1980-12-22/page/1/ "undefined") ### Musicians on the Cover of TIME  The Dixie Chicks (May 29, 2006) JILL GREENBERG FOR TIME  Kanye West (Aug. 29, 2005) KWAKU ALSTON FOR TIME  Ricky Martin (May 24, 1999) TIME  Lauryn Hill (Feb. 8, 1999) TIME  Jewel (July 21, 1997) HERB RITTS  Pearl Jam (Oct. 25, 1993) NEAL PRESTON  Garth Brooks (March 30, 1992) JAMES SCHNEPF / GAMMA LIAISON  Madonna (May 27, 1985) FRANCESCO SCAVULLO  Michael Jackson (March 19, 1984) ANDY WARHOL  David Bowie (July 18, 1983) TIME  The Who (Dec. 17, 1979) TIME  Linda Ronstadt (Feb. 28, 1977) MILTON GREENE  Paul McCartney (May 31, 1976) RICHARD E. AARON  Elton John (July 7, 1975) DON WELLER  Cher (March 17, 1975) RICHARD AVEDON  Joni Mitchell (Dec. 16, 1974) BOB PEAK  James Taylor (March 1, 1971) J. H. BRESLOW  The Band (Jan. 12, 1970) BOB PEAK  Aretha Franklin (June 28, 1968) BORIS CHALIAPIN  The Beatles (Sept. 22, 1967) TIME  Joan Baez (Nov. 23, 1962) TIME  Frank Sinatra (Aug. 29, 1955) TIME  Rosemary Clooney (Feb. 23, 1953) BORIS CHALIAPIN  Louis Armstrong (Feb. 21, 1949) BORIS ARTZYBASHEFF  Bing Crosby (Apr. 7, 1941) ERNEST HAMLIN BAKER  Portrait of John Lennon as a child, circa 1948. Pictorial Press—Getty Images  John Lennon as a child, with his mother Julia Lennon, 1949\. To date, this is the only known photograph of John with his mother. It was taken by John's cousin, Stanley Parkes. Mark and Colleen Hayward—Getty Images  John Lennon at home in Liverpool during his schooldays, circa 1950. Gems/Redferns—Getty Images  John Lennon, Pre-Beatles, circa 1960/1961. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images  The Beatles standing outside Paul's Liverpool home (left to right) George Harrison (1943 - 2001), John Lennon (1940 - 1980), Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr was not to join the band for another two years. Circa 1960. Keystone—Getty Images  John Lennon playing guitar, circa 1960. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone—Getty Images  John Lennon performing with The Beatles at the Star Club, Hamburg, April-May 1962. TS Productions—Getty Images  John Lennon, of The Beatles, posed, on set, holding a cigarette at Alpha Television Studios, Aston, Birmingham David Farrell—Redferns/Getty Images  The Beatles posing in a small backyard in London with their instruments, 1963. Terry O'Neill—Getty Images  John Lennon sitting on bed in sunglasses signing a book. GAB Archive—Redferns/Getty Images  John Lennon playing a Gibson guitar, circa 1964. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images  John Lennon poses for a photo in the snow in March 1965 in Obertauern, Austria during a break from filming their second movie HELP!. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images  John Lennon in character as Musketeer Gripweed during the filming of the Dick Lester film 'How I Won The War' in September 1966 in Germany. Gunter Zint/K7K Ulf Kruger OHG/Redferns—Getty Images  John Lennon of the Beatles, after making a formal apology for his controversial statement that the group were 'more popular than Jesus'. August 16, 1966. Harry Benson—Express/Getty Images  John Lennon filming Magical Mystery Tour, 1967. David Redfern—Redferns/Getty Images  John Lennon wearing a frilly shirt and a sporran at the press launch for the Beatles' new album 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', held at Brian Epstein's house at 24 Chapel Street, London, May 19, 1967. John Downing—Getty Images  Yoko Ono and John Lennon, December 1968. Susan Wood—Getty Images  John Lennon with his son, Julian Lennon, circa 1968. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone—Getty Images  John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono holding a press conference in their bed at Amsterdam Hilton Hotel, during their honeymoon. March 26, 1969. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone—Getty Images  Former Beatle John Lennon with his wife Yoko Ono at his home, Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, Berkshire, July 1971. Michael Putland—Getty Images  John Lennon and Yoko Ono (extreme left) as they attend a rally in Hyde Park, London, England, 1975. Rowland Scherman—Getty Images  John Lennon and Yoko Ono in New york, 1980. David Mcgough/DMI—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4057957/john-lennon-75-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4057957/john-lennon-75-photos/"},"headline":"See Photos of John Lennon Through the Decades","datePublished":"2015-10-09T12:00:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:24.354Z","description":"The late Beatle would have turned 75 on Oct. 9","url":"https://time.com/4057957/john-lennon-75-photos/","keywords":["Music","remembrance","photography","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8af7bd6a06219fa/6988668be20a878d85a8d947/151001-john-lennon-23.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8af7bd6a06219fa/6988668be20a878d85a8d947/151001-john-lennon-23.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"John Lennon and Yoko Ono (extreme left) as they attend a rally in Hyde Park, London, England, 1975.","caption":"John Lennon and Yoko Ono (extreme left) as they attend a rally in Hyde Park, London, England, 1975.","creditText":"Rowland Scherman—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4057957/john-lennon-75-photos/","name":"See Photos of John Lennon Through the Decades"}}]}] ```