Only hours after the photograph was taken, John Lennon was shot and killed outside The Dakota, the New York apartment he shared with Yoko Ono. His murder at the age of 40 sent shockwaves through the world. Lennon was not only a music legend but also a peace activist, cultural provocateur, and symbol of an era that deeply believed in the power of love and protest. This photograph became, unintentionally, his final portrait. It froze his last hours on earth in an image that is both heartbreakingly intimate and historically weighty.

Lennon’s assassination transforms this image from an evocative portrait to a cultural relic. The contrast between the tenderness of the embrace and the violence that followed gives the photograph a haunting afterlife. When Rolling Stone published it on the January 22, 1981, cover, they did so without text, allowing the image to speak for itself. The embrace—Lennon’s naked, fetal-like pose, lips slightly parted, eyes closed as he presses into Yoko’s chest—suddenly read like a goodbye. Yoko, clothed in black and staring calmly at the camera, becomes not only his lover but also his protector, his anchor, and now his mourner. The photo captured their dynamic with devastating precision. In that moment, we see Lennon seeking safety in Yoko, a man who once said, “She’s the most famous unknown artist in the world—and everyone knows her name.”

Runtagh, Jordan. “The Story Behind Annie Leibovitz’s Photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.” Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2020.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-lennon-yoko-ono-annie-leibovitz-photo-1100665/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.