Here's How John Lennon Predicted His Own Death

As we approach the unhappy anniversary of the murder of former Beatle and peace activist John Lennon, expect his name to be cropping up in every corner of the media world. This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the 40-year-old's tragic and early passing. Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980, in New York City by Mark David Chapman. Chapman blasted Lennon four times — twice in the back, twice in the shoulder– with a .38 caliber pistol. Short of wearing heavy steel plates, those shots would've taken down anyone.

After shooting Lennon, Chapman hung around, calmly waiting for the police to arrive. By calmly, we mean calmly: According to a report by the Washington Post, Chapman put down the gun and pulled out a book. It was just another day for this crazy, obsessed fan. Lennon was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital, while Chapman was pronounced psychotic by a court of law and sentenced to 20-to-life under a plea of insanity. The only thing in this story crazier than Chapman would be if Lennon had predicted his own demise, right?

John Lennon did technically predict his own death back when he was still a young Beatle, though parts of his predictions weren't 100 percent spot-on. Freda Kelly, a former secretary for the Beatles,  talked about her time with the band in an interview with The Guardian. According to Kelly, Lennon had claimed numerous times that he wouldn't make it to 40 years old, though technically that turned out not to be true. Lennon had actually been 40 for a whopping two months at the time he was gunned down. So, he did make it.

Lennon's prediction was more specific than that, though still broad when you really think about it. Newsweek talks about an interview Lennon did with a reporter clear back in 1965 where he claimed he'd be "popped" off by either "some looney" or in a plane crash. The plane crash didn't happen but, unfortunately, the "looney" did. The prediction is no less vague than what one would be told when visiting a fortune teller. Many famous musician have been killed in one of those two ways. The only mode of death that may have been more obvious for a musician who didn't plan to live to see old age would be a drug overdose. But, hey, Lennon technically called it.