Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono was born on Saturday, February 18th, 1933, in her ancestral estate in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, Eisuke Ono, was the descendant of a 9th Century Emperor of Japan. Her mother, Isoko Yasuda Ono, was the granddaughter of Zenijiro Yasuda, the founder of Yasuda Bank. Yoko was two years old when she was brought to California, and joined her father for the first time.

She returned to Japan before WWII and survived the bombings of Tokyo in 1945. Yoko went to school with Emperor Hirohito's two sons. Though boys and girls were separated, Yoko was visited by Emperor's son Yoshi, and in turn she visited the boy's school in defiance of the rules. In the early 50s she and her parents moved to New York. She went to Sarah Lawrence College, where she was particularly adept in music, with her perfect pitch and untamed creativity. She married a Julliard student, Toshi Ichiyanagi, and moved to Manhattan. Her admiration with Franz Kafka, Vincent van Gogh, and Arnold Schönberg gave root and was fertilized by the New York avant-garde scene.

Played her first public concert at the age of four, and her first composition "Secret Piece" was in 1955.

In 1959, she moved to join her family in Scarsdale, New York, where she attended Sarah Lawrence College.

In 1960, Yoko Ono & her friend La Monte Young staged the legendary loft events on Chambers Street. She also provided the loft for John Cage and his ground-braking classes of experimental music. She collaborated with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Nam June Paik, George Maciunas and Fluxus. Yoko cut herself from her parents and was on her own, working as a waitress, an apartment manager, and a music teacher in New York's public schools.

In 1962, after separating from Toshi, she gave in to her parents and returned to Japan. There, she heavily suffered from a clinical depression, and was locked up in a mental hospital. Anthony Cox went to Japan and managed to release Yoko Ono from captivity.

She married Cox in Tokyo, later in the year, and their daughter, (as she became a mother), Kyoko, was born on Saturday, August 3rd, 1963. Cox became her artistic assistant.

But in 1964 they separated and Cox returned to New York.

Yoko joined him later in 1964 with Kyoko.

She dreamed up the concept for 'Bottoms' (1966), completed only after 365 friends and volunteers provided their naked buttocks for close-ups. Her ad was "Intelligent-looking bottoms wanted for filming. Possessors of unintelligent-looking ones need not apply.

" Yoko promoted 'Bottoms' (1966) by being tied to a bronze lion in London's Trafalgar Square.

While there, she first met her future husband-to-be (also 3rd & last), John Lennon at her art show in London on Wednesday evening, November 9th, 1966. At first they were very impressed with each other's intellect, personalities & everything else followed later. They married. John was lambasted by the British public.

Has a stunning amount in common with Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney's late wife. Both women were raised in extremely wealthy environments. Both attempted to make it on their own (McCartney as a photographer, Ono as an actress and artist), only to later be accused of marrying their husbands for their money despite their families' wealth. Both attended Sarah Lawrence College (at different times) and left without finishing degrees. Both married a frontman for the Beatles, and these weddings took place eight days apart in March 1969 (the McCartneys were first). Both women were pregnant at their weddings (Ono later suffered a miscarriage, McCartney later gave birth to Mary McCartney). Both had a daughter from a previous marriage. Both had mentally unstable former husbands (Ono's later kidnapped their daughter and took her to a fundamentalist Christian commune; McCartney's committed suicide in 2000). Both were accused of playing a major role in the Beatles' breakup. Both suffered personal attacks by fans and by the press. Both suffered attacks on their musical talent (particularly vocal) by fans and the press. Both were older than their husbands. Both were activists.

Yoko lost her daughter Kyoko (second ex-husband Cox kidnapped Kyoko in 1971 & hid her with an alias name Rosemary in the cult The Walk) for 27 years.

John and Yoko were together 24/7 for six years until their fifteen-month break in 1973-74. Back together again, they sustained attacks from the media, politicians and all kinds of harassment.

Gave birth to Sean Taro Ono Lennon (aka Sean Lennon) on 9 October 1975.

Won the Grammy Award in the Album of the Year category for "Double Fantasy" with John Lennon and Jack Douglas (1982).

Owns the copyrights and masters to her Apple Records releases, including "Two Virgins" and "Life With The Lions", recorded with John Lennon; with none of the records initially selling well, Lennon had to pay Apple for them, as part of the Beatles' partnership settlement. In the 1990s, with interest regenerated, Ono re-released her music through Ryko, after turning down another label that only wanted her albums with Lennon.

Returned to music in 1995 with her son Sean Lennon and his band Ima Rising.

Finally in 1998, Yoko and Kyoko reunited.

Is portrayed by Linda Ko in The Linda McCartney Story (2000).

Some time after her husband's murder, Ono began a relationship with antiques dealer Sam Havadtoy, which lasted until 2001. They were never legally married.

After her husband John Lennon was fatally shot, she took a photograph of his bloodstained eyeglasses laying on the pavement. In 2002, this photo sold for thousands of dollars.

In 2003, at the age of 70, she topped the US dance music charts with a reworking of "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him", a song she co-wrote with John Lennon, to support gay marriage: "Every Man Has A Man Who Loves Him". She also recorded a lesbian version of the song.

Release of her book, "Memories of John Lennon". [2005]

Took out a full-page ad in The New York Times that read simply "IMAGINE PEACE" (5 January 2008).