The historic date of December 8, 1980, is someone every music fan knows about. There won’t be any other more devastating day in the history of music. That day, we all lost a very important figure who changed the spirit of music in the world. John Lennon’s death shocked the world and still remains one of the most tragic moments in the rock world.
While this was more than 40 years, Ozzy in a recent interview explained how heartbreaking it was for him. He also added that he had never seen the Beatles live. However, Ozzy said that he had massive respect for them as they have contributed so much to the rock nation.
Ozzy said, “I remember where I was, Exactly where I was when it was, what time of the day it was. I was in Wales. I was writing and rehearsing, and Sharon calls me up and says, ‘You’ll never guess what happened.’ She says, ‘John Lennon got shot last night.’ My world just f*ckin’ stopped. It was like when Kennedy got done, you know. But a f*ckin’ guy like Lennon … it just stopped my world.”
He continued,
“I mean, I never saw [The Beatles] play. How great would it have been if they hadn’t shot Lennon and he hadn’t died such a horrible death? If they’d ever gotten back together, they would have taken over again.”
He was assassinated on the evening of that day after spending an entire day at the Record Plant Studio. It was by a crazy fan by the name of Mark David Chapman. In his statements, he announced that he murdered him because he was jealous of Lennon’s life. Later on, he also said that he wanted to be known as Lennon’s murderer.
Mark David shot Lennon five times in the back, hitting him four times while missing the fifth shot. According to him, he came out with, “Hey, Mr. Lennon”. It is said that Lennon had time to climb the steps that led to the security guardhouse. Lennon also whispered, “I was shot..” and fell unconscious. However, it was late as he lost his consciousness en route to Roosevelt Hospital and was pronounced dead.
The Prince of Darkness also commented, “I felt like the world was collapsing around me. As if the world stops and collapses around me. If that tragedy hadn’t happened, maybe the Beatles would have gotten back together and conquered the world again. John Lennon was a poet and a rebel with an incredible passion for music. Imagine is an example of how he was ready to dedicate his whole life to sending a message and demonstrating something important for everyone.”
