Tributes held worldwide to mark 30 years of John Lennon’s passing

Fans of John Lennon gathered in Liverpool and New York City to pay tribute to the musician on the 30th anniversary of his murder.

Around 500 people joined a vigil at Liverpool’s Chavasse Park, around the European Peace Monument, and sang Lennon songs including ‘In My Life’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Give Peace A Chance’, ‘Across The Universe’, ‘All You Need Is Love’, and ‘Twist And Shout’.

Tribute poems were also read by Rachel McGladdery, Isobel Malimoski and Wesley Byrne.

The monument was unveiled on 9 October 2010, the 70th anniversary of Lennon’s birth, by his son Julian and first wife Cynthia.

This has been a remarkable day and a fitting tribute to a son of the city with people from all over the world gathering to pay their respects to one of the world’s great icons. Lennon’s ability to inspire whole new generations even 30 years after his death goes to show how remarkable a person he was.

In Tokyo, the 10th Dream Power John Lennon Super Live concert was held. The concert was organised by Yoko Ono, and featured her along with other leading Japanese performers.

In New York flowers were laid and candles lit at the Strawberry Fields memorial in Manhattan’s Central Park. The area is close to the Dakota building where John Lennon lived in his final years.

Fans travelled from around the world to pay tribute, and the mood at the memorial was a mixture of sombreness and joy. Tourists and children on class trips mingled with mourners and journalists, some silent and others singing.