Yoko Ono has claimed that she was warned that her late husband John Lennon was “in danger” prior to his death.
Lennon was murdered by an obsessed fan named Mark David Chapman on December 8 1980. The ‘Beautiful Boy’ singer was shot while arriving at his apartment at The Dakota in New York City. Late last year, the Beatles guitarist’s final words were revealed by Jay Hastings, the concierge working at the front desk of the building.
Now, in a new book titled We All Shine On: John, Yoko and Me written by Elliot Mintz – the former spokesperson and confidant of Lennon and Ono – Mintz opened up about the aftermath of the musician’s death and how it affected his wife and his two sons, Sean and Julian.
In an excerpt shared by The Times, Mintz alleged that Ono had become suspicious of those around her and opened up about how they almost got into an argument after he asked her to interview her and her son Sean on the radio to address the rumours going around about the Lennon family. She told him that she would have to check with her “advisers” – who were comprised of tarot readers and numerologists.
“Yoko, let me ask you something. If these advisers are as good as you believe they are, why is it that none of them saw what was going to happen to John? Why was there no warning?” he said.
“Elliot,” she responded, “How do you know I wasn’t warned? Did you ever ask me if there were warnings?” Mintz continued: “Okay, I’ll ask you: Did any of your advisers warn you about John being in danger?”
“Yes,” Ono replied. “I was told he was in danger in New York and that he should be removed immediately. That’s why I sent him to Bermuda over the summer … But I couldn’t keep him away forever. He had to come back at some point.”
After leaving Mintz speechless with her answer, Ono explained: “Look, Elliot. You know how John felt about his own safety. We talked about this at our kitchen table when your friend [the actor Sal Mineo] was killed. John said, ‘If they’re going to get you, they’re going to get you.’ It didn’t matter what my advisers told me. He didn’t believe in bodyguards, he wouldn’t put up with them. He wanted to be free.”
Elsewhere, earlier this month, to celebrate what would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday, a box set was shared containing “meditation mixes” of his 1973 song ‘Mind Games’.
In other news, Sean previously opened up about the importance of his father and his music and his parents’ relationship.
“One thing that distinguishes my dad’s solo career is how personal his lyrics became. It is like a diary, and it is my duty to bring attention to my father’s music. Not just my duty to him, but a duty to the world,” he told The Times. “With the world as it is now, people have forgotten so many things that I never imagined could be forgotten. I refuse to let that happen to this music — it means too much to me.”
In a four-star review of One To One: John & Yoko, NME shared: “In short, this is a terrific documentary from start to finish, beautifully structured and by turns bracingly political, informative and inspiring. It’s also profoundly bittersweet, because it’s impossible to watch the film and wonder what kind of figure Lennon would have become in the 21st century. Just imagine.”
