Music

The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger discussed how he reacted to John Lennon's death in the media. He also discussed John's life.

Published on October 6, 2022

TL;DR:

• The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger discussed John Lennon’s death.
• He recalled how the media reacted to the murder.
• Jagger also inducted The Beatles into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger discussed John Lennon’s death. He felt the former Beatle’s murder was “ironic.” In addition, he revealed what he thought about John on a personal level.

The details of John Lennon’s death

According to History.com, John was shot four times on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman. He died en route to the hospital. He was 40 years old.

Earlier that day, John gave Chapman an autograph. Chapman stayed at the crime scene until his arrest. John’s death triggered public displays of mourning across the globe.

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger said John Lennon was murdered after ‘he had found a place to be on his own’

During a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger revealed what he thought when he learned of John’s death. “I was very sad and surprised,” he recalled. “And it was all so horribly ironic. 

“He thought he had found a place to be on his own, have this life, and he was quite taken with the idea that he was no longer in The Beatles, that he didn’t have to have a lot of protection, bodyguards,” Jagger continued.

“He used to tell me how he would go in a cab in New York — go in a f****** yellow cab. Which, as you know, is probably to be avoided if you’ve got more than $10.” Jagger was asked if John’s death had a special “personal resonance” for him. “I just felt very sad for the loss of someone that I loved very much,” he said.

Jagger discussed the journalistic reaction to the murder. “I didn’t write it up as a piece in The Guardian,” he recalled. “I think journalists have this temptation to keep marking time lines. [Laughs] There are wall charts for children: dinosaurs end here, wooly mammoths here, and John Lennon dies here. You know?”

What The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger said at The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction

This was not the only time Jagger discussed The Beatles. In 1988, he inducted the Fab Four into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During his speech, he said he couldn’t think of anything negative to say about the Fab Four.

Jagger opined England’s popular music had nothing to offer prior to the success of The Beatles. The frontman thanked The Beatles for paving the way for the success of other English artists in the United States.

Jagger saw John as a good friend and his career might not be the same without The Beatles.

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