Thirty years have passed since John Lennon’s death

Thirty years after his untimely death, gunned down in the street outside his New York apartment, John Lennon remains a legend whose music and drive for world peace has inspired generations of artists.

The former Beatle died on December 8, 1980 after being shot four times in the back by Mark David Chapman outside the chic Dakota apartment block in Central Park West where he lived with his second wife, Yoko Ono.

Lennon had just celebrated his 40th birthday. Now every year on October 9, Lennon's birthday, and December 8, fans flock to the apartment block where Ono still lives to pay tribute to the Liverpool-born musician and mourn his passing.

Chapman, who was mentally unstable and just 25 at the time, had staked out Lennon's apartment and earlier in the day the musician had even autographed a copy of his latest album "Double Fantasy" for the man who would kill him.

Chapman eventually pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life imprisonment.