Entertainment Music Yoko Ono's Life in Photos The artist, musician and former wife of Beatles great John Lennon has lived an incredibly full life By Kate Hogan Kate Hogan Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE, as well as the editor of Stories to Make You Smile. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2008. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 18, 2023 08:00AM EST Close 01 of 14 Yoko Ono's Early Years Fortune/Daily Mail/Shutterstock Yoko Ono was born on Feb. 18, 1933, in Tokyo, to artist parents. During World War II, she and her siblings relocated to the countryside, and she eventually found her way to New York City in the 1950s. 02 of 14 Yoko Ono and John Lennon in 1969 AP Photo Ono's own budding art career took her around the globe, including to London, where she met Beatles musician John Lennon in 1966. The two had an instant connection, leading in part to Lennon's divorce from wife Cynthia in 1968. Ono eventually drew ire from many fans of The Beatles, who believed her contant presence affected the band's music and eventual breakup. Overtime, public perception of Ono has changed, and Lennon's bandmates have spoken fondly of her. 03 of 14 Yoko Ono and John Lennon in 1969 Frank Barrett/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The pair were activists as much as artists, posing on the steps of the Apple building in London in 1969 with a sign reading, "War is over! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John and Yoko." 04 of 14 Yoko Ono with John Lennon and His Son, Julian Bettmann Archive Lennon had one son, Julian, with ex Cynthia. He was a teenager when his father died. Speaking to PEOPLE after his dad's death, Julian said, "I learned quite a bit from observing what he went through, the good bits and the mistakes. I'd rather not think about the times when I didn't see him, and I hope I'll meet him up there for a drink or whatever when I disappear." His happier memories were "just being with him and having fun ... wrestling on the floor—we were silly, over the top, mad in our different ways." Following Lennon's death, Ono helped provide for Julian, who is also a musician. 05 of 14 Yoko Ono and Her Daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox Mediapunch/Shutterstock Ono also had a child from a previous relationship, daughter Kyoko, who spent much of her early life with her father, Ono's first husband, Anthony Cox. Though Kyoko told PEOPLE in 2003 that Lennon was always "nice to me," she described him as "this consuming force. He wanted all of my mom, and there wasn't a lot of her left for me." After ultimately disappearing with her dad, Kyoko contacted her mother in 1994, after deciding to have children of her own. "When Kyoko appeared finally, I was totally in shock," Ono later told PEOPLE. "It felt like the part of me that was missing came back." "Losing my daughter was a very serious pain," she added. "There was always some empty space in my heart." 06 of 14 Yoko Ono and John Lennon Marry, 1969 Yoko Ono and John Lennon in 1969. Daily Herald/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images Ono and Lennon married on March 20, 1969, in Gibraltar. "When I fell in love with Yoko," Lennon once said, per a 1966 PEOPLE story, "I knew, my God, this is different from anything I've ever known ... This is more than a hit record, more than gold, more than everything." 07 of 14 Yoko Ono and Her Son, Sean Lennon Rose Hartman/Archive Photos/Getty Images Sean Lennon, the only child of Ono and Lennon, was born on Oct. 9, 1975. "I see a lot of John in Sean," Ono told PEOPLE in 1982. "He's quick and snappy." Speaking to PEOPLE in 1994, she added that one of her greatest accomplishments in life was that "Sean has grown up the way he has. There's satisfaction in thinking your judgement was right." 08 of 14 Yoko Ono and John Lennon in 1980 AP Photo/Steve Sands, File On Dec. 8, 1980, Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment building. He was 40 years old. "The doctor came and handed me things. I still didn't believe it. Then the doctor handed me John's wedding ring, and I knew," Ono told PEOPLE in 1990. "It was important that I give my permission to the hospital to announce John's death. But I couldn't bring myself to say yes right away. For that split second, I felt as though John would still be alive if his death was not announced." "I still have dreams of John," she added. "His spirit is always with me." 09 of 14 George Harrison, Yoko Ono and Ringo Starr in 1988 Michael E. Ach/Newsday RM via Getty Images Ono helped represent The Beatles when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 20, 1988, in New York City. McCartney missed the induction due to "business differences" with his former bandmates. 10 of 14 Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock McCartney with Sean Lennon and Ono after John Lennon's solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. "There are many things Paul and I go through behind the scenes," Ono told PEOPLE in 2003 of the pair's storied relationship. "Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't." 11 of 14 Yoko Ono and Ringo Starr Todd Williamson/Invision/AP Ono has also frequently reunited with Starr, like here at the 56th Grammy Awards special merit awards ceremony in 2014. 12 of 14 Yoko Ono's 2005 Retrospective Wolfgang Kuhn/United Archives via Getty Images In 2005, Ono was celerated in a retrospective exhibition in Passau, Germany, one of countless shows she's been involved with through the years. 13 of 14 Yoko Ono Performing in 2011 Kevin Mazur/WireImage Also a musician, Ono performed with her Plastic Ono Band at "Yoko Ono & Friends To Japan With Love" for earthquake relief in 2011. 14 of 14 Yoko Ono Now Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images Speaking to PEOPLE in 2003, Ono mused that, "People think their world will get smaller as they get older. My experience is just the opposite. Your senses becomemore acute. You start to blossom."