Grief is often described as a universal language, and few moments in modern music history embody it as poignantly as the aftermath of John Lennon’s tragic death on December 8th, 1980. Shot outside his New York home by Mark David Chapman, Lennon was just 40 years old. His murder shocked the world and left those closest to him devastated — including his former Beatles bandmates.
For Ringo Starr, the pain was almost unbearable. Unlike Paul McCartney and George Harrison, who chose to grieve more privately, Starr’s anguish played out in front of the public eye.
Ringo’s Last Meeting with John Lennon
Just weeks before Lennon’s death, Starr enjoyed what would become his final meeting with his old friend. Recalling the memory in an interview with Barbara Walters, Ringo shared that Lennon and Yoko Ono had visited him while he was staying at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
“I hadn’t seen him for a while,” Starr explained with visible sorrow. “And he came over with Yoko for an hour. And we had such a great time, because they stayed five hours. It didn’t matter that it was a year between when we didn’t see each other; it was always fine when we did. But it was a particularly great time that we… that I had, anyway.”
The memory brought Starr both joy and anguish — a final, unexpected gift of time spent together before Lennon’s untimely passing.
The Pain of Losing a Friend
When Lennon was killed, Starr immediately rushed to New York to be by Yoko Ono’s side and support Lennon’s young son, Sean. But in public, the drummer struggled to contain his grief. During the interview, as he tried to reflect on their friendship, he was suddenly struck by the weight of reality.
“You know, it’s so new to me that it sort of clogs you up a bit,” Starr admitted. “I used to say, ‘ask the other three.’ But now we can only ask two, which is a drag. But I’m sure he’s OK.”
His words, interrupted by heavy pauses and visible emotion, underscored the rawness of his loss. “I’m really sad,” he confessed. “I still miss John a great deal, I’ll always miss him, you know. But it’s still brand new.”
Coming to Terms with Tragedy
At one point, the interview became too much for Starr to bear. After explaining that he had received a phone call about Lennon’s shooting, he cut himself short: “Do you want to stop that now? It doesn’t help and it always gets me upset.”
When asked about Chapman, Lennon’s killer, Starr responded with uncharacteristic anger: “And then the asshole appeared. There’s no understanding it. You think about it, but I’m telling you, you never understand it. The world has lost a wonderful man.”
A Lasting Loss
Even decades later, Starr has continued to honor Lennon’s memory. His grief in 1980 remains one of the most human and heartbreaking reminders of the bond shared between The Beatles — a friendship forged in music and tested by fame, but never truly broken.
For Ringo, that final meeting with John was a bittersweet farewell. What was meant to be just another night catching up became one of the most precious memories of his life.
