John Lennon was born in 1940 in Liverpool, England. He formed The Beatles with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in 1962, becoming one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history. After leaving The Beatles in 1969, Lennon released solo albums with his wife Yoko Ono and others until his life was tragically cut short in 1980 when he was shot and killed by a crazed fan at age 40 in New York City.