Murder of John Lennon

On the night of December 8, 1980, English musician John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles, was shot and fatally wounded in the archway of The Dakota, his residence in Manhattan, New York City. The shooter, Mark David Chapman, was an American Beatles fanatic who was envious and enraged by Lennon's lifestyle. Chapman was also inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, which features a "phony-killer" who loathes hypocrisy. Chapman planned the murder over several months.