John Lennon 40th Death Anniversary: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney & Yoko Ono Recall Legendary Beatle

John Lennon died exactly 40 years ago this Tuesday, and Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, and his two sons Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon remembered him fondly on the anniversary of his death. Lennon died at 40 years old on Dec. 8, 1980, after being shot outside of his New York City home.

Ono’s social media post was not only in memory of Lennon, but also the hundreds of thousands of people who died from gun violence after him.

“The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience,” Ono tweeted. “After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him. ‘Imagine all the people living life in peace,'” she quoted “Imagine,” one of her late husband’s most famous solo songs.

“Over 1,436,000 people have been killed by guns in the U.S.A. since John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980,” the photo she tweeted read.

Ono and Lennon’s sons posted in memorial of their father on Twitter and Instagram as well.

“As Time Goes By….” Julian Lennon captioned a photo of his young father.

His brother Sean Lennon posted a picture of the young family, all together.

“Love to you all my friend 🌈🖤⭐️” he captioned the sweet photo.

Former bandmates McCartney and Starr posted in Lennon’s honor as well. McCartney’s tweet was a simple yet affectionate tribute to the late artist, paired with a black-and-white photo of the two.

“A sad sad day but remembering my friend John with the great joy he brought to the world,” McCartney wrote. “I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser!”

Starr, meanwhile, hoped for the world to mourn Lennon with him by listening to “Strawberry Fields Forever,” a Beatles song that Lennon wrote.

“Tuesday, 8 December 1980 we all had to say goodbye to John peace and love John,” Starr wrote. “I’m asking Every music radio station in the world sometime today to play Strawberry Fields Forever. Peace and love.”