Decades after the tragic death of The Beatles star John Lennon, he still has a tight hold on an iconic chart record.
The star, who would have turned 83 today if he’d still been alive, claimed the record for most UK No.1 singles by a songwriter a year after his tragic death, and it still stands today.
The British star, who was born in 1940 and died in 1980, penned 30 songs that hit the top spot in the charts.
Among the tracks are 17 he co-wrote with Paul McCartney as a member of The Beatles and three he released as a solo artist: “(Just Like) Starting Over”, “Imagine” and “Woman”.
Lennon penned a further nine No.1s for other artists with McCartney, including “With a Little Help from My Friends”, which hit the top spot three times for Joe Cocker in 1968, Wet Wet Wet in 1988 and Sam & Mark in 2004.
The duo also wrote “Jealous Guy” for Roxy Music which climbed to No.1 on 14 March 1981, shortly after Lennon’s death.
In a crime that shocked the world, Lennon was fatally shot outside his New York apartment building by fan Mark David Chapman on 8 December 1980.
Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy, an album he released with his wife Yoko Ono, for Chapman just hours earlier.
Chapman shot Lennon four times – twice in the back and twice in the shoulder – as he walked through the archway of the building where he lived, The Dakota. He had fired five shots.
The musician was rushed to hospital in a police cruiser but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Chapman made no attempt to flee the scene and remained there to be arrested.
He had been a long-time fan of The Beatles but said he had become incensed by Lennon’s lifestyle and didn’t like some of the statements he had made about the band being “more popular than Jesus”.
The killer also became obsessed with novel The Catcher in the Rye and said he wanted to model his life after its main character Holden Caulfield, who became an icon for teenage rebellion.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison.
He became eligible for parole in 2000 but has been denied multiple times and remains incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York, USA.
Chapman later said he regretted the murder and didn’t want people to think he had killed Lennon to achieve notoriety.
Despite the heinous crime, Lennon’s music and status as a record holder lives on.
Guinness World Records music consultant Matthew White said: "More than 40 years after his untimely death, and considering the high turnover of No.1s on the Official Singles Chart since the mid-1990s, it stands as a testament to John Lennon’s genius as a songwriter – often alongside Paul McCartney – that nobody has yet managed to overhaul his tally of 30 UK chart-toppers.
"Tragically, he didn’t live to see his three solo No.1s, which represent some of his finest work, nor Roxy Music’s rendition of the poignant “Jealous Guy”. However, when the world was cruelly robbed of a legendary musician and lyricist on that dark day in New York in December 1980, his songs took on a new significance.
"Hundreds of artists since then, from Billy Bragg to Sam & Mark, have been only too happy to dip into the Lennon (and McCartney) songbook to sprinkle a bit of magic on to their own careers."
And this isn't the only record to Lennon's name - to name a few:
- He also has the record for most pseudonyms used by a pop star after recording and producing music under 15 different names
- Lennon's 1965 Phantom V Rolls-Royce was bought for $2,229,000 (£1,702,827) in 1985 to become the most expensive pop memorabilia
- His Steinway model Z upright became the most expensive piano sold at auction when it was bought for $2.1 million ($1.45 million) in 2000
- He shares the record for most consecutive Grammy nominations for Song of the Year (3) with Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Diane Warren, Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell and H.E.R.
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