John Lennon's ex-PA Dan Richter believes front door of NYC apartment was ‘danger point’ for singer
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: John Lennon's former personal assistant has blamed the singer’s front door of his New York City apartment building for his murder. Dan Richter worked for the late Beatles member and his wife Yoko Ono, from 1969 to 1973. Years later, on December 8 in 1980, Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman.
Over four decades later, Richter now told the Daily Telegraph, “That door was a danger point. You can identify and avoid that. And there was a side door he could have used.” The 83-year-old also shared another instance when he thought he and the songwriter were about to be killed while meeting Bob Dylan at the Plaza Hotel.
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He reportedly added, “I thought I was going to die. Turned out he was hotel security coming to see if we needed help! Then I realised Bob was standing there all the time, totally unnoticed, in camouflage fatigues, laughing.”
This comes as former bandmate Sir Paul McCartney also opened up about Lennon's death in an interview for ‘The Beatles Channel’ on SirusXM. As per AceShowbiz, the 80-year-old said, “When John died, it was so difficult. It had hit me so much that I couldn't really talk about it. I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died.”
He continued, “Turning the TV on and seeing people say, 'Well, John Lennon was this,' and 'What he was, was this,' and 'I remember meeting him' and it was like, 'I don't know, I can't be one of those people.' I can't just go on TV and say what John meant to me. It was just too deep. It's just too much. I couldn't put it into words,” before recalling one of his hearty moments with the 'Imagine' singer.
McCartney added, “We told each other a few truths, you know - 'Well, I love you. I love you, man. I love that you said that. I love you.' And we opened up. So, that was kind of special to me. I think that was really one of the only times that ever happened.”
Meanwhile, according to AP News, Chapman admitted in November that he shot Lennon dead because he “wanted to be somebody." The criminal reportedly said, “I am not going to blame anything else or anybody else for bringing me there. I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil, I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life.”
Chapman, who is in the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Hudson Valley, added, “This was evil in my heart. I wanted to be somebody and nothing was going to stop that. I hurt a lot of people all over the place and if somebody wants to hate me, that’s OK, I get it.”