Capital: € 600 million
Age: 87
Born: February 16, 1933
Country of origin: Japan
Source of wealth: Singer
Last updated: 2024

Short introduction

Yoko Ono Lennon, known as Yoko Ono (February 18, 1933, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese avant-garde artist, singer, and widow of John Lennon. Has the right to permanent residence in the United States.

Early life

Yoko spent the first three years of her life with her mother Isoko Ono (née Yasuda) in Tokyo, while her father Eisuke Ono lived and worked in the American office of the Bank of Japan in San Francisco. In 1936, Yoko and her mother moved in with their father, but they had to return to Japan a year later when their father was transferred to the bank’s New York branch. The family came together again in 1940, but not for long. With the outbreak of World War II, Yoko and her mother decided to return to their homeland. Her aunt Anna Bubnova-Ono gave her the first music lessons.

From 1943 to 1953, Yoko was taught at the prestigious Gakushuin school. In 1953 she joined Sarah Lawrence College in America, where she studied literature and music for the next few years and wanted to become an opera singer.

In 1956, against the protests of her parents, Yoko married the talented but poor pianist and composer Toshi Itiyanagi at the age of 23. A few years later, Toshi was hired by a rehearsal pianist in the dance group of Merce Cunningham, a man who had ties to New York avant-garde artists. In the years that followed, she tried to gain public recognition, but her performances, exhibitions, and performances were unsuccessful, and critics refused to take Yoko Ono seriously. Due to setbacks, the girl became depressed and tried repeatedly to commit suicide.

In 1962, her parents received information about her daughter’s lifestyle, after which she was violently taken to Japan and sent to one of the psychiatric clinics. There she found her future husband – Anthony Cox. He was a big fan of her work and when he found out what had happened, he immediately came to Japan to find Yoko and support her. After the release, the two returned to New York, where Tony became a producer of Yoko’s projects and their affairs went a little better. Her daughter Kyoko Ono Cox was born on August 8, 1963.

Career

She came to London with Tony and Kyoko in 1966 to develop artistically. John Lennon, a member of the Beatles, visited her exhibition at the Indica Gallery on the recommendation of Paul McCartney.

According to the official version, which was later replicated by John and Yoko, John was hit to the core by one of the exhibits: there was a staircase in the room with the white walls and a magnifying glass hung from the ceiling. After climbing up, the viewer had to take the magnifying glass and use it to read the word “yes” on a canvas hanging from the ceiling. In his own words, Lennon expected a trick that made it clear to the viewer that he had failed to climb so high, and was pleased to see that it said “yes”.

After the first meeting in the exhibition, Yoko repeatedly tried to get John’s attention. She sat at the gates of his Kenwood house for hours looking for a reason to get inside. Once Lennon’s wife Cynthia let her in so she could call a taxi. After a while, Yoko indicated that she had forgotten her ring at the Lennons and bombarded John with letters asking for money. Cynthia, who was already taken aback by this strange Japanese woman, was shocked to see a package received from Yoko: a broken cup smeared with red paint was in a box under the Cotex.

John often led Yoko to the Beatles rehearsal, violating the group’s unspoken rule of not allowing outsiders into the studio. For this reason, the musicians felt uncomfortable and the tension in the group increased. Two years after the Beatles collapse, Lennon and Ono moved to New York. The Lennons were long connected with allegations of drug use cases prior to their expulsion from the United States. Yoko was very nervous about this as her return to London reduced her chances of reuniting with her daughter Kyoko, who had lived with her father in the United States for several years.

In 1973 the tension reached its limits and Yoko decided to part with John. She brought him together with May Pang, Lennon’s personal assistant, and sent them to rest in Los Angeles, where they lived in New York. In 1975, Yoko and John made peace. On October 9, 1975, at the age of 42, Yoko Ono gave birth to a son, Sean, on the 35th birthday of her husband John Lennon.

Career highlights

Some time after her husband’s death, Ono married an antique dealer, Sam Havadtoy – the marriage lasted until 2001. She was also seen in relationships with Havadtoy’s colleague Sam Green. In 1982 the album It’s Alright (I See Rainbows) was released. In 1984 the tribute album “Every man has a woman” was released, which consists of the best Ono songs performed by artists such as Elvis Costello, Robert Flack, Eddie Moni, Rosenne Cash and Harry Nilson. Later that year, Yoko Lennon’s released unfinished album Milk and Honey.

Famous quotes

“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. …
“Each time we don’t say what we want to say, we’re dying.” …
“You may think I’m small, but I have a universe inside my mind.” …
“Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90 …
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream.

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