John Lennon died after being shot multiple times outside his New York City home, the Dakota, on the night of December 8, 1980; he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

What happened that night

  • On the evening of December 8, 1980, Lennon returned to the Dakota with his wife, Yoko Ono, after a recording session.
  • Outside the building, an obsessed fan named Mark David Chapman, who had approached Lennon earlier for an autograph, fired five shots at him at close range.
  • Four bullets hit Lennon in the back and shoulder, causing catastrophic internal injuries and massive blood loss.

Medical cause of death

  • Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where doctors attempted to resuscitate him but could not revive him.
  • He was pronounced dead on arrival at around 11:15 p.m. local time.
  • The official cause of death was hypovolemic shock due to severe blood loss from multiple gunshot wounds that damaged his left lung, major blood vessels, and chest area.

Why this is considered an assassination

  • Because Lennon was a globally known figure and was killed in a targeted attack by an obsessed admirer, his killing is widely described as an assassination rather than an accident or random crime.
  • The shooting ended any hope of a future Beatles reunion and had a major cultural impact, especially among fans who saw him as a symbol of peace and social change.

TL;DR: John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980, outside his home in New York City when Mark David Chapman shot him four times; he died soon after from massive internal bleeding and shock.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.