John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Photos Hollywood Life |

John Lennon and Yoko Ono were one of the 20th century’s most controversial couples, but their love endured through it all. The Beatles guitarist and Japanese artist/peace activist began an affair when he was still married to his first wife Cynthia. John left his wife and their son Julian and officially wed Yoko in 1969. Yoko soon became a pop culture icon and even collaborated with John on his 1971 album Imagine. After the end of The Beatles around 1970, she was unfairly blamed for the band’s breakup. After the Beatles, John and Yoko only got closer. Together, they were vocal anti-Vietnam War advocates and staged their infamous “Bed-Ins For Peace” protest in 1968. In 1972, they joined the fledgling feminist movement in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. They started a family soon after, welcoming their son Sean Lennon in October 1975.

Sadly, the couple’s happy ending was cut short when John was fatally shot by Mark David Chapman in New York City on December 8, 1980. Despite her devastating loss, Yoko has continued to honor her late husband’s legacy through philanthropy and art. In fact, she just turned 90 this year! So, if you want to bask in the nostalgia of their controversial love story, click through the gallery for all the best photos.

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