The final year of John Lennon’s life will be the subject of a new documentary timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the music legend’s death. John Lennon: The Final Year, from Reda Films, will include never-before-seen material and interviews with those who spent time with the slain Beatle during the last year of his life. Lennon died December 8, 1980, as a result of a fatal gunshot wound, while standing with his wife, Yoko Ono, in front of his apartment building on New York’s Upper West Side.
The film’s producer is noted Beatles author, Ken Womack of Wonderwall Communications. Womack’s forthcoming book, John Lennon 1980: The Final Days in the Life of Beatle John, will be published on Lennon’s birthday, Oct. 9. His most recent book was Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles, published in 2019 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the release of Abbey Road.
The film’s production company executives, Scott Reda and Mark Reda, are executive producers.
Lilla Hurst, co-managing director of the film’s distributor, Drive, said, “This ground-breaking film gives exclusive access to people who were part of John Lennon’s life during his final year and sheds light on a part of his life that hasn’t been previously revealed. We were fascinated by this story as soon as it was brought to us and we look forward to launching the film to the content industry.”
Lennon and Ono, recorded the album, Double Fantasy, in 1980. It was released on Nov. 17. Three weeks later, Lennon was dead.
Related: Lennon was honored with a Forever stamp by the U.S. Postal Service in 2018
The production company, Reda Films, has over 600 hours of programming and has amassed the largest privately owned film archive – Reda Archives, LLC – in the United States. The company has received numerous awards including a People’s Choice Award, Peabody Award, and Primetime Emmy Award (including nine nominations).
Reda earned the Peabody Award for its 1990 documentary John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen, about the legendary Columbia Records talent scout.
[easy_sign_up title=”Sign up for the Best Classic Bands Newsletter”]
