-
01
Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney’s late wife, shared many striking similarities: both grew up wealthy, attended Sarah Lawrence College, married a Beatle frontman eight days apart in March 1969, had daughters from previous marriages, and faced public blame for the Beatles’ breakup.
-
02
The term Yoko factor originated from Ono’s constant presence at Beatles recording sessions, where Lennon broke the band’s no-wives-or-girlfriends rule.
-
03
Elton John serves as godfather to Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono’s son with John Lennon.
-
04
Yoko Ono’s name translates to Ocean Child in English, a phrase John Lennon incorporated into the White Album song Julia about his mother.
-
05
Before meeting John Lennon, Ono claimed the only Beatle she knew by name was Ringo Starr, as the word means apple in Japanese. Paul McCartney later recalled that she approached him before Lennon.
-
06
After John Lennon’s murder, Ono photographed his bloodstained eyeglasses lying on the pavement; the image later sold for thousands of dollars in 2002.
-
07
Yoko Ono gave birth to her son Sean Taro Ono Lennon on October 9, 1975, at the age of 42.
-
08
On January 5, 2008, Ono placed a full-page ad in The New York Times reading simply IMAGINE PEACE.
-
09
Ono gave birth to her first child, Kyoko Chan Cox, on August 3, 1963, with ex-husband Anthony Cox.
-
10
As a child, Ono attended the prestigious Jiyu-gakuen Music School in Japan, training in piano, composition, opera, and German Lied singing.
-
11
Yoko Ono won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1982 for Double Fantasy, a collaboration with John Lennon and Jack Douglas.
-
12
In 1995, Ono returned to music with her son Sean and his band Ima Rising.
-
13
As of 2022, Ono resides on the seventh floor of Manhattan’s Dakota building with Sean, overlooking the Strawberry Fields memorial.
-
14
Ono performed her first public concert at age four, and her first composition, Secret Piece, dates to 1955.
-
15
Her daughter Kyoko was born on August 3, 1963, to Anthony Cox; Cox later kidnapped Kyoko in 1971 and hid her for 27 years.
-
16
Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born on October 9, 1975, the same date as his father John Lennon’s birthday.
-
17
Ono is the mother of Kyoko Ono Cox and Sean Lennon.
-
18
Ono owns the copyrights and masters of her Apple Records releases, including Two Virgins and Life With The Lions; she later re-released them through Ryko in the 1990s.
-
19
Ono was appointed Honorary Ambassador of Peace by the Harvey Ball Foundation, alongside Jackie Chan, Brooke Shields, and others.
-
20
Ono was good friends with New York art luminaries including Peggy Guggenheim, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.
-
21
After John Lennon’s death, Ono had a relationship with antiques dealer Sam Havadtoy that lasted until 2001; they never married.
-
22
Yoko Ono’s longtime friend and neighbor at the Dakota is singer Roberta Flack.
-
23
Ono is stepmother to Julian Lennon, John’s son from his first marriage.
-
24
In 2003, at age 70, Ono topped the US dance charts with a reworking of Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him, supporting gay marriage, as Every Man Has A Man Who Loves Him; she also recorded a lesbian version.
-
25
Yoko Ono was portrayed by Linda Ko in the 2000 TV movie The Linda McCartney Story.
-
26
Actress Mariko Takai portrayed Ono in the 2007 film Chapter 27.
-
27
Ono is an avant-garde poet, performance artist, composer, and vocalist.
-
28
On December 8, 1980, Ono appeared in the last professional photo of John Lennon, taken by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone; Lennon was killed later that day by Mark David Chapman.
-
29
In 1959, Ono moved to Scarsdale, New York, where she attended Sarah Lawrence College.
-
30
Ono’s father, Eisuke Ono, a banker, served as Japanese Naval Intelligence’s paymaster for spies in Los Angeles before World War II.
-
31
Ono made her Carnegie Hall debut on November 24, 1961.
-
32
Ono released the book Memories of John Lennon.
-
33
The Barenaked Ladies song Be My Yoko Ono is about her.
-
34
VH1 ranked Ono #84 on its list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.
-
35
John Cage was Ono’s mentor in the late 1950s; her husband at the time, Toshi Ichiyanagi, was a student of Cage.
-
36
Ono was born five days after Kim Novak, in the same month and year February 1933.
