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 John Lennon Tributes on 70th Birthday

 

John Lennon didn't tell us what to do but showed us who we could be. it's a gift still appreciated as an outpouring of love rises up on his 70th birthday.

When John Lennon died in December of 1980 there was a touching outpouring of grief and the facts of his life and death became the focus of media for months. There were even therapy groups devoted to processing the grief surrounding his death and it became clear that there was a great deal of love for the former Beatle.

The fact that gatherings are taking place worldwide to mark October 9, 2010 and what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday suggest that the love for Lennon has not diminished. He has been gone now two months shy of 30 years but his legacy of music and peace are heard and respected by new and long-time fans alike.

Celebrating John Lennon's Birthday and His Message of Peace

Celebrations on Lennon's birthday include events at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York (he was inducted in 1994), unveiling an 18 foot high Peace and Harmony statue in his honor in Liverpool with Julian and Cynthia Lennon, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon lighting the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland and a documentary to be shown in Central Park.

Outpourings of Love for Lennon

Over the past week or more there has been plenty of offerings to his memory, plenty of love directed at the musician and peace activist that John Lennon was throughout his life. Tributes have been coming from the famous and from the obscure and some of those tributes being put up on sites to commemorate Lennon's birthday are recent, some are older.

Tributes on John Lennon:

Ozzy Osbourne, fellow U.K. musician: "The world stopped for me when Sharon told me John Lennon had been shot in New York. I can’t even describe how I felt. The amount of joy and hope that he gave people was just remarkable."

Ray from New Hampshire, U.S.A. on a fan website: "The world remains a much sadder place without you in it. By the way, you were not the only one. We are still trying to Give Peace A Chance."

Celebrated actor Drew Barrymore: "He gave everyone great music to be sad to and make love to and laugh to and drive to, and every sort of thing that you live for in the world. If you put his music on to anything that you’re doing in life, it fits right alongside of it.”

Singer and his wife Yoko Ono: "He had a very painful childhood in which he hardly saw his mother or his father. But, later, he managed to turn his pain around to give the world many beautiful songs and important messages which changed our heads and the way of our lives."

Drummer Mick Fleetwood: "John was a fantastic human being. I was blessed...when I was 18 or 19, I got to hang out around the Beatles and John. It was an incredible experience, the energy that they all had was phenomenal, just outrageous, and of course, he’s still a bright and shining star for us all.”

Didi from U.K. on fan website: "It's still feels so wrong that he's gone and listen to his music often. He's still speaking to us and wish we'd bloody well listen."

Fellow Beatle Ringo Star (who turned 70 in July):" Happy Birthday John. Peace and Love, I loved you and I miss you. Can you believe 70?!"

John Lennon: October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

Perhaps because turning 70 is a milestone this Lennon birthday has become the most celebrated since his death and we are seeing such an outpouring of stories and love. Clearly John Lennon's gift to the world has not been forgotten and it would seem that the love that he gave is being given back.

Lennon on Lennon:

John Lennon on himself: "My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all."