John Lennon

Lennon was raised mostly by his aunt and uncle in Liverpool, England. Lennon formed his first band, the Quarrymen, at age 15. This band would eventually become the Beatles. After a two-year stint in Hamburg, Germany, the Beatles began achieving mainstream success in the U.K. in 1963 and in the U.S. a year later. After releasing 12 studio albums, Lennon left the band in 1969 and embarked on a solo career. Lennon briefly retired from music to focus on his family, wife Yoko Ono and son Sean, returning in 1980 with the album Double Fantasy. Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman in New York City three weeks after the album’s release.