On October 9, 1975, John Lennon received the birthday gift of a lifetime: the arrival of his second son, Sean Ono Lennon. The baby’s birth marked a new beginning for The Beatles’ founder, who subsequently stepped away from the spotlight to embrace fatherhood and family life.
Before Sean’s birth, Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, had tried to conceive for several years, experiencing a “series of miscarriages and fertility difficulties” before welcoming their only child together, reported PEOPLE Magazine. The baby arrived on Lennon’s 35th birthday, ushering in a new chapter of life for the music icon.
In 2018, photographer Bob Gruen shared a series of five intimate photos of John, Yoko, and Sean taken inside their New York City apartment in December 1975. He posted them on the official John Lennon Facebook page, reflecting on how Lennon fully embraced fatherhood.
Gruen wrote, “John called me when Sean was a month old and asked me to take some photos for his family. I took a lot of shots of him, Sean, and Yoko. John seemed happier than I had ever seen him and was looking forward to spending all his time raising his new son.”
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“I understood John’s need to be home with Sean, because we had talked before about the opportunities John felt he had lost with Julian (Lennon), his son with his first wife, Cynthia. John felt he had missed out on really getting to know his older son, and so had resolved to spend as much time with Sean as he could, to raise him himself and really get to know him. John also wanted to become closer to Julian, and over the next few years, made considerable efforts to bring Julian more and more into his life.”
How did John Lennon and Sean celebrate their birthdays?
John Lennon and his son, Sean Ono Lennon, usually celebrated their birthdays quietly at home. But just one year before Lennon’s death, Yoko Ono organized an unforgettable joint celebration for the pair at one of New York City’s most beloved restaurants.
Ono planned a party at the Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green, according to Salon. The event celebrated Lennon’s 39th birthday and Sean’s fourth, and was attended by family and friends.
The Legacy of ‘Double Fantasy’ and John Lennon’s final birthday
In 1980, John Lennon emerged from his self-imposed exile with a new album, Double Fantasy, and the single “(Just Like) Starting Over.” The release marked not only his return to the music scene but also a celebration of his life with Ono and Sean.
Lennon celebrated his 40th birthday at the New York home he shared with Ono and Sean, as reported by PEOPLE Magazine. Ono gifted the entertainer a ruby and diamond American flag pin, a Patek Philippe 2499 watch, a plate of plastic sushi, a hand-knitted yellow and black tie, and a skywriter who wrote the message “Happy Birthday John and Sean, Love Yoko.”
“(Just Like) Starting Over” was released weeks after Lennon’s 40th birthday, according to Billboard. It reached the number one position shortly after Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980, as he was returning home from a late-night recording session at The Record Plant with Ono. After his death, two more singles from Double Fantasy, “Woman” and “Watching the Wheels,” climbed the Billboard charts in 1981.
Today, Sean Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono usually mark the day privately, though they occasionally share heartfelt reflections on social media. Today, John Lennon would have been 85 years old. Sean turns 50.