It was 30 years ago today we lost a piece of music and peace--John Lennon was murdered on the steps of The Dakota apartment building where John lived with his wife Yoko Ono and his son Sean. He had just finished a recording session and his assassin was waiting there to kill him.

I remember waking up on Dec 9, 1980 and hearing JOHN LENNON SHOT DEAD OUTSIDE HIS APARTMENT BUILDING LAST NIGHT RETURNING FROM A RECORDING SESSON......again....JOHN LENNON IS DEAD.

I immediately woke up and looked at the clock on my bedside table....5:30 AM...I will always associate 5:30 with learning of Lennon's death. I cried all the way to work and it was a hard day, and the weeks that followed were reflecting about The Beatles and Lennon's solo career and the time he stayed away from music to be a "house husband" and raise his son Sean.

He and Sean had the same birthday a month before. Lennon had just turned 40 and had just recorded Double Fantasy, and was working on the next album Milk and Honey.....His new album was a hit and he was back on top...just starting over and cut down in his prime.

We lost a great human being who wrote songs of peace and was in a monumental rock group called THE BEATLES....and sadly, there are only two of them left: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (George Harrison died of cancer several years ago).

Let's all think of Strawberry Fields and as a tribute to Lennon and Madonna covering IMAGINE, here are the lyrics:

IMAGINE: BY JOHN LENNON 1971

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one