10月9日，全球各地的樂迷舉行各類紀念活動，紀念“甲殼蟲”樂隊已故主唱約翰?列儂誕辰70周年。當天，美國的樂迷聚集在紐約曼哈頓中央公園的“草莓地”，點燃蠟燭，擺上鮮花和列儂的照片，哼唱著列儂的經典作品。中央公園還免費放映紀錄片《列儂在紐約》，表達對列儂的敬仰和懷念。 在列儂的家鄉英國利物浦，他的前妻辛西婭和他們的兒子朱利安跟當地歌迷一起參加了“和平與和諧”紀念碑揭幕儀式。在冰島，由列儂遺孀小野洋子創作的藝術品“想象和平塔”在夜空之下被點亮，藝術品各個表面由多種語言書寫“想象和平”字樣，傳達出列儂生前所追求的世界和平理念。

A person lays a drawing of John Lennon on the Imagine mosaic in Strawberry Fields in Central Park to celebrate Lennon's birthday in New York, October 9, 2010. (Agencies)

A crush of fans circled a flower-graced mosaic in Central Park's Strawberry Fields and sang lyrics from Imagine on Saturday to honour Beatles legend John Lennon on his 70th birthday.

On the day when the Liverpool Lad would have become a septuagenarian, thousands of fans around the world gathered to remember the floppy-haired British superstar who just wanted to give peace a chance.

Fans began arriving on Friday, spilling onto the sidewalk of Central Park West, where Lennon and wife Yoko Ono lived in the famed Dakota building for nine years. He was shot to death by a deranged gunman as he came home on the evening of December 8, 1980.

Police erected barricades to contain the crowd alongside passing traffic.

This year, the memorial to the slain ex-Beatle and peace activist includes a mosaic donated by the city of Naples, Italy. A plaque lists 121 countries that endorse Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

The one hectare site was created by Ono and named after the Lennon song, Strawberry Fields Forever, which also observes that 'living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.'

The birthday celebration got started early on Friday in his native England, where Google UK released a 32-second video 'doodle' with an Imagine soundtrack. The interactive electronic art generates a butterfly and a flower - reflecting Lennon's devotion to world peace.

In Liverpool, Lennon's first wife, Cynthia and, their son, Julian, unveiled a sculpture to celebrate his life.

Hundreds of people gathered at the city center's Chavasse Park to watch the pair cut a ribbon to reveal the statue, called Peace and Harmony. The sculpture, which features a colorful globe with doves flying above it, was designed by 19-year-old American artist Lauren Voiers.

The two held hands and joined the crowd in singing John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance.'

'I think the mourning is over for John. I think it's time to celebrate,' said Cynthia, 71. 'Think about his life that was positive and good and just enjoy that.'

She was married to John Lennon from 1962 to 1968.

In New York, planned celebrations include a Saturday evening benefit concert at the Society For Ethical Culture, a short walk from Strawberry Fields. The proceeds will go to the human rights organisation Amnesty International.

Capping the New York remembrances will be a Central Park screening of a documentary detailing Lennon's life in the city. Titled LENNONYC the new public television film will be shown in the park's Rumsey Playfield, with picnic-style seating on the ground.

Ono was set to mark her late husband's milestone birthday in Iceland with a performance by the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. She also was to present awards to people who had contributed to peace.

Just before Lennon was killed, the couple collaborated on a last album 'that was so different from anything he did before,' said David Edwards, a college student in Kentucky who drove 14 hours to New York City to pay tribute.

The 22-year-old found a different way to honour the slain Beatle in the bustling crowd of admirers: He sat alone on a bench with earphones on, listening to Lennon's music on his iPod while reading his book Skywriting By Word of Mouth.

'What gets me is his humanity,' Edwards said. 'He was one of the first superstars who showed that he was vulnerable - he was Everyman.'

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Imagine by John Lennon

(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）