LENNON’S 50TH

Yoko Ono Imagines: John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, urged fans of the ex-Beatle to imagine a world based on love and peace to mark Tuesday’s 50th anniversary of Lennon’s birthday. “His spirit still lives in all of us whose lives have been touched by him,” Ono said. She urged a gathering at the United Nations Trusteeship Council to “celebrate his birthday as a day of love, because he’s a man of love and because love is much needed in this time of our lives.” Ono helped organize the ceremony as part of a campaign designed to spotlight Lennon’s birthday rather than the upcoming 10th anniversary of his Dec. 8, 1980, murder at the hands of a disaffected fan. The haunting Lennon song “Imagine” was played on 1,000 radio stations to audiences in 130 countries. Paul McCartney released a live version of the old Beatles’ song “Birthday” as “a nod and a wink to my old mate.” In Los Angeles, fans gathered Tuesday morning at Lennon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and planned to gather at Hollywood’s Spice nightclub for a celebration.