John Lennon's 75th birthday: a look back at his life in photos

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John Lennon's 75th birthday: a look back at his life in photos
BY DAWN COLLINSON
1 OCT 2015

Our archive images show the music legend before and after The Beatles


John Lennon on holiday in St Moritz skiing with wife Cynthia in Jan 1965

John Winston Lennon, named in honour of a paternal grandfather and a Prime Minister, would have reached his landmark 75th birthday on October 9 this year.

As history shows, he only lived to 40, gunned down by Mark Chapman outside his New York apartment complex in 1980.

But those four decades left their lasting imprint on the world of music and an archive of photographs which illustrate just how influential he was.

From his childhood, living with his aunt and uncle Mimi and George in south Liverpool, and that fateful garden fete meeting with Paul McCartney in 1957, the images reveal his life from cheeky wise-cracking young man through the Beatle years and beyond.

It is now 35 years since Lennon was killed, but these photos give a glimpse of the man behind the legend.


John Lennon 75th birthday


A schoolboy John Lennon


John Lennon, pre-Beatles, taken in Liverpool 1961


The Beatles on stage at the Cavern Club in February 1961


A 1962 portrait of the The Beatles with Pete Best


The Beatles on the beach at Bream Down near Western Super Mare on 22 July 1963


Queen Mother meets The Beatles backstage at the Royal Variety Show, November 1963 


John with Cynthia Lennon wearing a dark wig over her blonde hair sitting on a train to Washington DC , February 1964


Roy Orbison being fed birthday cake at his 28th birthday by John while Ringo looks on, 23 April 1964 


John Lennon and wife Cynthia on a St Moritz skiing holiday, Jan 1965


Joker Lennon decides to use Paul McCartney's floral tie as a handkerchief, December 1965 


Lennon with Paul McCartney and Lulu, backstage at a Granada TV recording of tribute programme The Music of Lennon and McCartney in December 1965 


John Lennon and Peter Cook in Not Only But Also in 1966


John Lennon on the coach setting off on their tour of the West of England on September 11th 1967 to film the Magical Mystery Tour  


John Lennon sits in the new Iso Rivolta S4 at London motor show, October 1967


Lennon with Yoko Ono at opening of You are Here exhibition July 1968


Lennon with Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney attending the Yellow Submarine premiere in London, July 1968 


John Lennon and Yoko Ono, surrounded by police outside Marylebone Magistrates Court, 19th October 1968 where he was remanded in bail on drugs charges 


John and Yoko with daughter Kyoko at London airport, May 1969


Lennon with his wife Yoko in July 1970


John Lennon with son Sean shortly before his assassination. Copyright BBC