Four years later, Lennon met conceptual artist Yoko Ono, at one of her exhibits who was several years older than him. They began a highly publicized relationship in May 1968 and the Yoko Onanization of Lennon eventually led to the breakup of the band. During Lennon's last two years in The Beatles, he and Ono began public protests against the Vietnam War. After The Beatles recorded their final album, Abbey Road,  Lennon left the band in September 1969 and soon began a successful solo career. Ono suggested they move permanently to New York, which they did in  August, 1971. They first lived in the St. Regis Hotel, and then moved a loft in Bank Street, Greenwich Village, After a robbery in their loft, they relocated to the more secure Dakota Apartments on West 72nd Street.

In 1972, the Nixon Administration tried to have Lennon deported from the US as Richard Nixon's paranoia convinced the president  that Lennon's support for George McGovern could lose him the next election. The Immigration and Naturalization Service began deportation proceedings against Lennon, arguing that his 1968 misdemeanor conviction for cannabis possession in London had made him ineligible for admission to the U.S. Lennon spent the next four years in deportation hearings which was finally overturned in 1975.

On the night of  December 8, 1980, at around 10:49 PM, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times in the entrance of the Dakota.  Hours before his murder, Lennon told RKO Radio that he felt he could go out anywhere in New York City and feel safe. However, several years earlier while he was still a Beatle, Lennon was asked how he might die. Lennon replied: “I'll probably be popped off by some loony."

To celebrate John's birthday, we suggest making a batch of Beatles and watching the young John  and his mates in HELP (1965). Beatles cookies are a close cousin to the classic chocolate chip cookie. However, they are made with sour cream and flavored with cinnamon and  are lighter and puff up more during baking.