A Doorman Revealed The Real Last Words Of John Lennon

It has been 43 years since John Lennon was assassinated as he made his way back to his residence, an event that the music world mourns to this day.

Jay Hastings, the doorman for Lennon, recently shared details of the incident that occurred four decades ago with People magazine.

Reflecting on that fateful night, Hastings recounted the final words of Lennon and a conversation he had with another doorman named Jose, who was the first to encounter the musician right after the shooting.

Hastings described the moment: “I could hear Jose outside, ‘Oh Mr. Lennon.’ Boom, boom, doors close… and [Lennon’s] like, ‘I’m shot, I’m shot,’ and he just ran past me to the back office, and just collapsed.”

John Lennon’s tragic final words

The doorman vividly recalled what happened on that fateful day.

“I could hear Jose outside, ‘Oh Mr. Lennon.’ Boom, boom, doors close, and I could hear the quick march of heels coming up the driveway. So I walked over to the counter, where there was a hidden security button to unlock the door, so you could get into the Dakota proper.”

Following Lennon’s shooting, Hastings recounted hearing only two words from the musician. He disclosed:

“As I was there with my finger on the button is when he [Lennon] came running up, immediately after hearing gunshots, and he’s like, ‘I’m shot, I’m shot,’ and he just ran past me to the back office, and just collapsed.”

Yoko Ono’s last moments with John Lennon

Yoko Ono, the spouse of the iconic former Beatle, was on-site. She took the initiative to call for an ambulance immediately after he was shot. The doorman elaborated:

“[I] didn’t know how bad he was shot. I went into the back office, Yoko was there, like right behind him, screaming, ‘Get an ambulance. Get an ambulance.’”

Mark David Chapman fatally shot Lennon in front of the residential building on the Upper West Side at 10:50 p.m. local time. In less than 10 minutes, Lennon was rushed to the nearby Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The following day, Ono released a statement expressing, “There will be no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Kindly do the same for him.”

Chapman’s motives and arrest

Chapman acknowledged committing the crime on the spot and later confessed to being a fan of the Beatles, revealing his motive was ‘seeking fame’ in a statement to a parole board. On that particular day, Lennon had an encounter with Chapman, who obtained the Beatle’s autograph on a copy of the album Double Fantasy.

Having obtained the firearm three months earlier, Chapman traveled to New York City with the explicit intent of carrying out the crime. Reportedly, Chapman targeted Lennon solely because he was considered “too famous”.

Since his apprehension following the shooting, Chapman has been serving time in prison. In June 1981, he entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life two months later.

Despite being denied parole for the 12th time in September 2022, Chapman remains eligible for parole consideration. His next opportunity for parole consideration is scheduled for 2024.