U.S. #5314

2018 50¢ John Lennon Dark Violet – Music Icons Series

 

For nearly a decade, the Beatles revolutionized music.  Although the band's members were all friends in the beginning, they eventually grew apart and their friendships were strained.

 

John Lennon left the Beatles in 1969, and the split was made public the following year.  In the years prior, Lennon married and collaborated with artist Yoko Ono.  They produced several albums together and took up a number of activist causes.  Most notably, the opposed the Vietnam War andheld a "Bed-In for Peace" in protest.  Lennon then recorded "Give Peace a Chance," which became an anti-war anthem.  Two years later, he released "Imagine," another anti-war song and his most famous release after leaving the Beatles.

 

Lennon's activism worried President Nixon, who feared the anti-war activities could cost him reelection.  So he had the FBI follow him and attempted to have him deported.  After Nixon resigned, the deportation order was overturned and Lennon received a green card.

 

After taking a five-year hiatus to raise his son Sean, Lennon returned to music in 1980.  His final album reflected the contentment he found in his stable family life.  However, his life was cut short when he was killed by an unstable fan that December.  Memorials were held across the globe as the world said goodbye to one of the most influential musicians ever known.