I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was doing middays at CJCH AM, Halifax, the Powerhouse of Atlantic Canada when John Lennon was murdered.
The former Beatle was gunned down in front of his wife, Yoko Ono the evening of Dec. 8, 1980 outside his Dakota apartment building in Manhattan. It was 10:50pm when Mark David Chapman, with a copy of Catch In The Rye in hand called out “Mr. Lennon,” then proceeded to shoot him 5 times in the neck and back.
He’d been stalking him for days…even got his autograph earlier that day. He’d actually flown in from Honolulu in October when he’d plan to murder him then but couldn’t find him that visit.
Wow- can’t believe it’s been 29 years since he left his world !
All I remember is when I first heard the news on my car radio driving into the radio station the next morning, I heard Jim Goldrich doing the news headlines…lead story…
” A former Beatle’s dead…” My 1st thoughts were John Lennon….perhaps from a drug overdose or in a car crash but murdered ?
I thought I was going to drive off the road at that moment !
The mood was sad, dark and very sullen that day and for days to follow.
My buddy Bob Powers who was PM Drive and Music Director for our sister station C-100 FM was crying…it was an incredibly difficult day for everyone.
Man- doing a shift on-air was a huge challenge putting aside my personal sadness, grief, sorrow, shock, anger…doing everything I could not to scream out loud on air what a dick Chapman was for taking away one of our heroes for a moment’s glory…what a sick %$#@ !
I often wonder what the world would be like if John Lennon were still alive- pretty awesome, I bet.
We would have grown with him like we did with George and continue to do so with Paul and Ringo.
All I can say is I still really miss him today and thank him for making the world a better place for his short life on earth.
