Credit: John Lennon

Why didn’t John Lennon have a bodyguard?

Sun 3 November 2024 16:00, UK

When people accrue as high a level of fame as John Lennon or anyone in The Beatles, for that matter, it’s usually expected that they enlist a highly qualified security team. That way, it becomes easier to establish personal boundaries and distance and ward off any potential dangers, like threats from fans or the general public.

When Lennon died on December 8th, 1980, the whole world seemed to enter a state of collective mourning. Losing someone of such cultural significance felt completely unfathomable, and fans gathered to grieve not only the loss of a musician but of a figure they looked up to. For many, the death of Lennon wasn’t just the death of a celebrity; it signposted the death of a legendary voice.

Even in his latter years, Lennon became a symbol of artistic expression and peaceful community, providing comfort and escape to those burdened by the challenges faced by everyday life. Lennon’s own ideals rippled, making others reflect on what the world could look like with more harmony. However, his death incited widespread shock, forcing people into the throes of complete disbelief.

When he was murdered, Lennon was with only his wife, Yoko Ono, as they approached the entrance of their New York City apartment. When the news broke of his passing, alongside the shock and sadness, there remained one significant question crossing the minds of thousands: Why didn’t he have a bodyguard at the time?

In 1976, Lennon and Ono’s close friend and radio personality, Elliot Mintz, asked Lennon if he had given much thought to the dangers of being a public figure in light of Sal Mineo’s recent passing. According to Mintz, Lennon was pretty robust in his views about obtaining a bodyguard because of his firm belief in fate and destiny. “If it could happen to anybody or everybody, why would I waste any time worrying about it happening to me?” he said at the time.

“All my life, I’ve had guys around me who were supposed to be protecting me,” he added. “When the group toured, there were hundreds of police around us. But if they want to get you, they’re gonna get you. Look at all the people that Kennedy had around him. I don’t need bodyguards. I don’t want them. I’m just a rock ’n’ roll singer.” When asked if he would ever entertain the idea, he scoffed, describing bodyguards as “cringe”.

In Albert Godman’s Lives of John Lennon, the singer apparently dismissed the idea of hiring a bodyguard because he felt it unnecessarily put someone else’s life in danger, which largely influenced his decision to stay away from the whole idea. He also felt that a bodyguard wouldn’t save him. “They kill the bodyguard first,” Godman alleges Lennon once said.

Who killed John Lennon?

In December 1980, Lennon and Ono were returning to their apartment in New York when Mark David Chapman fatally shot the singer. According to various reports, Lennon’s final words as he went down were: “I’m shot”.

Chapman had previously been a fan of Lennon and had been stalking him for several days before his death. While returning to their apartment, Chapman shot Lennon four times in the back, and he was pronounced dead later at the hospital. Afterwards, Chapman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder, with a first chance at parole in 2000.

However, Chapman remains incarcerated even after multiple attempts at parole, mainly due to the fallout that would occur if he was granted release, alongside various other factors, like Chapman’s own safety and a desire to respect Ono’s wishes. Regarding motives, it’s unclear why Chapman targeted Lennon, and he has since said the only criterion for his willingness to murder was being famous.

That said, Chapman also apparently had a hit list of other celebrities he planned to kill, proving that fame may have been a primary motive after all.