Lennon Fans Gather to Mourn in 'Strawberry Fields'

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2005 — -- Under a chilly sun, a dozen New York middle school children sang "Give Peace A Chance" as they marched into the tiny corner of Central Park that is the memorial to John Lennon.

Like so many others who came today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the pop icon's death, the children were not even born on the night Lennon died just steps from where they sang.

The pilgrimage to Strawberry Fields, the section of the park named after the Beatles song, began early in the morning and lasted all day long. Angie Mulbay, 24, came from Columbus, Ohio. "John is very important to me, his music and his message," she said.

Kim Polson, 50, of New York, was well-acquainted with Lennon's music and his beliefs before he was killed. "With the country at war, his work and his philosophy seem more desperately needed than ever," she said as she arrived at Strawberry Fields early this morning.

To many fans worldwide who observed this anniversary, Lennon was more than just one of the Beatles; his later music, particularly, was more than just songs. Some in Strawberry Fields today pointed to his 1971 recording "Imagine." One man said he had come to "mourn the loss of someone who had spoken out about injustice."

Others came and stood silently as the winter sun slanted through leafless trees, some in their 50s holding the hands of small children.

From Strawberry Fields, looking across Central Park West to the Dakota -- the luxury apartment house to which Lennon was returning with his wife, Yoko Ono, when he was gunned down by Mark David Chapman -- his killing seems as senseless today as it did in 1980. Chapman was a self-proclaimed fan who carried a .38-caliber revolver in one hand and a copy of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" in the other when he approached the acclaimed musician. Four bullets hit Lennon. Mortally wounded, Lennon was put in the backseat of a police car and taken to a hospital. He died at 11:15 p.m.