Decades After John Lennon Passed Away, His Son Swore He Was Sent A Sign From Beyond The Grave

Julian Lennon is an accomplished musician and artist in his own right, as he scored several chart hits in the mid-1980s. But he will, of course, forever be known as the oldest son of the Beatles legend. He has an unusual relationship with that family legacy as well. During an interview to promote his third children’s book, Julian revealed that he once received a message several years after his father’s tragic death.

Shot down

Julian was just a teenager when the unthinkable happened: John Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980 as he returned to his Manhattan apartment. The former Beatle had spent the day recording material with his wife Yoko at the Record Plant. And as the pair got out of their ride home, John was fatally shot in the back four times at close range.

Yoko's response

His family was left to find some meaning in the face of an impossible loss. In a statement issued the following day, widow Yoko said, “There is no funeral for John. [He] loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him.” The musician’s ashes were then scattered in Central Park in New York City at the future site of the Strawberry Fields memorial.

Public outcry

Mark David Chapman was later given a 20-years-to-life sentence after pleading guilty to the charge of second-degree murder. Grieving fans processed the loss in the only way they knew how: through music. “(Just Like) Starting Over,” a track Lennon had released before his death, climbed to the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic. And its parent album Double Fantasy also achieved the same feat.

A divided family

John was survived by his wife of 11 years and his two sons. Sean Ono Lennon was born in 1975, meaning that he was too young to really understand what was happening. His older half-brother Julian — from Lennon's turbulent marriage to Cynthia Powell — had to deal with this tragedy on his own terms.