Sean Lennon

Sean Ono Lennon was born at 2AM on October 9, 1975. On that same day, his Dad, John Ono Lennon turned 35. The two would be inseparable for five years, until John Lennon's death at the hands of a gunman outside the Lennons' apartment building in New York City on December 8, 1980.

Yoko had a history of troubled pregnancies. But John and Yoko were determined to have a child together. John told the story to David Sheff in the famous Playboy interview: "We worked hard for that child. We went through all hell together - through many miscarriages and terrible, terrible times. So this is what they call a love child in truth. We were told by doctors in England that we could never have a child...We'd almost given up." He went on: "...what happened to us was a Chinese acupuncturist...said, 'Heck, you have a child. Just behave yourself. No drugs, no drink, eat well. You have a child in 18 months.'...So we had Sean and I sent him a Polaroid of the baby just before he died. He died right after Sean was born."

Sean was John and Yoko's pride and joy. While John stayed in the upstairs apartment taking care of his son, Yoko went back to work downstairs, taking care of business in the Studio One office in the Dakota Apartment building. Sean says he remembers watching t.v. with John and wrestling on the bed ("Dad always came out on top"). In a "Goldmine" piece on John (December 7, 1984), a neighbor was quoted as saying, that once "...when she was leaving the Dakota courtyard (she estimates that Sean was one or two at the time)..she was struck by Lennon's tenderness, warmth and sense of fun as he played with his son, and she watched them for awhile without their noticing."

John was a recording fanatic, and taped long stretches of conversations with Yoko and Sean at home. There are poignant recordings of John teaching Sean to play the guitar. An approximately 4-year-old Sean sings an Elvis song while wildly strumming a tiny electric guitar, with the proud Dad heard in the background expressing his approval and praise. Many of these recordings were heard on the Elliot Mintz-hosted "The Lost Lennon Tapes" which aired on radio's Westwood One.

In the months following his Father's death, Sean was seen by fans for the first time. Yoko had decided that she would prefer that Sean be used to the media/public attention, since getting public attention would obviously be a reality for the son of two famous parents. While other celebrities' children threw their hands up in front of their faces, put coats over their heads and ran from the cameras like criminals, Sean waved, smiled and seemed at ease with the attention. He gave his first interview to the New York Daily News when he was 7-years-old. Sean made public appearances with his Mom, with Elliot Mintz, half-brother Julian Lennon and others throughout the 80's..showing up at benefits, openings, the Grammy Awards, two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions: one for the Beatles and one for his Dad and other highly public events - always handling himself with grace, confidence and self-deprecating humor. For example, at the Hall of Fame ceremony for the Beatles, Sean appeared onstage with George, Ringo, Julian and Yoko. Sean's comment was: "I'm pretty proud to be up here for doing nothing."