John Lennon, a popular member of The Beatles, was born Oct. 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. When he was 4, his parents separated, leaving Lennon in the care of his Aunt Mimi. While his mother, Julia, remained involved in his life, Lennon rarely ever saw his father.
Julia taught Lennon how to play both the banjo and the piano when he was a child, and she also purchased him his first guitar.
While in school, Lennon enjoyed using his artistic talents for drawing and did not focus much on academic success.
At the age of 16, Lennon started his first band, called Quarry Men.
Shortly after starting this band, Lennon met Paul McCartney in 1957 at a church function and invited him to be a member of Quarry Men.
A year later McCartney introduced Lennon to George Harrison and two other men, who together filled the positions needed in Lennon and McCartney's band.
This same year, Lennon's mother died tragically in a car accident caused by an off-duty police officer.
The Beatles were discovered in 1961 by Brian Epstein who secured Lennon, McCartney and Harrison a record contract with a new drummer, Ringo Starr.
The group released its first single in 1962, "Love Me Do," which reached No. 17 on British music charts.
Lennon married Cynthia Powell in 1962. Together they had a son, Julian. The marriage, however, would end in 1968.
In 1964 the group's music crossed the Atlantic, making The Beatles one of the first British bands to become famous in the United States.
The group's fame began to wane in 1966, and the members took a break from their music only to return in 1967 with the very popular album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
That same year, his manager Epstein died of an accidental overdose of, resulting in McCartney taking over as manager for the group.
Following Lennon's divorce in 1968, he married Yoko Ono. The two would later have a son, Sean.
The partnership between Lennon and Ono began to cause tensions within the group, which Lennon left in 1969. News of the break-up was kept silent until after their final album, "Abbey Road," was released in 1970.
Lennon began a solo music career after he left The Beatles. He released the album "Imagine" in 1971.
The title track of this album being the most successful of Lennon's post-Beatles career and was named the third best song of all-time by Rolling Stone magazine.
During the Vietnam War, Lennon was threatened with deportation by the Nixon administration, most likely due to his controversial marriage and political activism.
Following Nixon's resignation, however, Lennon was granted U.S. citizenship.
Shortly after releasing what would be his final album, "Double Fantasy," Lennon was shot in front of his New York home.
He later died in Roosevelt Hospital at the age of 40 due to the multiple gunshot wounds.
Lennon's music, both from The Beatles and his solo work, remains popular and influential to this day, and his activism during the Vietnam War is well-remembered.
Despite his untimely death, Lennon accomplished much and will influence others for generations to come.
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