John Lennon's Death in NYC

By Jack Brummet, NYC Metro Ed.

On Dec 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot five times by 25 year old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York City where he lived with Yoko Ono and his son Sean. Chapman stalked Lennon for days outside the Dakota apartments.  

Keelin and I lived in his neighborhood on the upper west side, ten blocks north.  I could hear the sirens that night.  I was listening to the Vin Scelsa show on NYC's WNEW 102.7 when it happened.  Scelsa was a friend of Lennon's.  Sometime around 11:30, he broke in

Vin Scelsa:  "I was playing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Jungle Land.’  This long, 11 or 12, or 13 minute track about the city and about life on the streets.  And to a certain extent, about violence on the streets.  A very ironic thing.  I faded down the music and I read the bulletin. And we tried to downplay it.  John has been shot.  He’s been taken to the hospital.

"Many minutes later, the bulletin came across that he had died.  Marty came into the room, tears streaming down his face, totally shaken, and said; “He—he—he’s dead. He’s gone.” I kinda flipped out at that point.  I didn’t wanna go on the air and say this.  I had gone on the air other times in my life and announced that people had died.  John Lennon, I knew right away, that this was something that went beyond just a pop star murder or a pop star death.  That this was truly a significant moment in our cultural history.  I remember finally the song ending and my coming on the air and saying whatever it is I said.  I know that what I said is in the Museum of Television & Radio.  I’ve only listened to it two or three times over the years, cause I don’t really wanna listen to it.

"I know that I said something like, 'For the first time in my life I’m speechless.'"

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