why was john lennon assassinated

John Lennon was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980, outside John Lennon's residence, the Dakota, in New York City. Chapman, a 25-year-old former security guard and once a fan of the Beatles, had become angered and disillusioned by Lennon's lifestyle and public statements. Specifically, Chapman was upset by Lennon's 1966 remark that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," as well as Lennon's songs like "God" and "Imagine," which Chapman saw as hypocritical given Lennon's affluent lifestyle. Chapman identified strongly with the themes of isolation and loneliness in J.D. Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye," a book he carried during the assassination and which influenced his mindset. He also stated that killing Lennon was "God's will" and he wanted to bring notoriety to himself through the act. After shooting Lennon four times, Chapman remained at the scene reading the book until he was arrested. He has repeatedly been denied parole and remains in prison. Thus, the assassination was motivated by Chapman's psychotic fixation, religious fervor, anger at Lennon's perceived hypocrisy and lifestyle, and a desire for infamy.