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John Lennon has to make the shortlist when discussing the most famous Liverpool natives. He relocated to London and later moved to the United States, but he spent his formative years in the English port city. City leaders showed their love for John by immortalizing The Beatles founder in statue form at Liverpool Airport on March 15, 2002.

Cherie Booth (left) wears red as she and Yoko Ono, dressed in black, sit at the feet of the John Lennon statue in Liverpool Airport.
A statue of John Lennon at Liverpool Airport stands over Yoko Ono (right) and Cherie Booth at the statue’s unveiling on March 15, 2002 | Phil Noble – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

The Liverpool Airport unveiled a John Lennon statue on March 15, 2002

John did much of his air travel from London once he relocated to England’s capital city. Between The Beatles’ international tours and personal vacations, he would have logged a ton of air miles (if such a thing existed).

Still, John’s accent and attitude were Liverpool through and through. City leaders honored the native son on March 15, 2002, by unveiling a seven-foot bronze statue in the main airport concourse. Not only that, but they rebranded the facility as Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

John’s statue memorializes him mid-stride with his hands in his pockets as he wears slacks and a sport coat. The mop-topped John didn’t make the cut, according to sculptor Tom Murphy.

“After studying many images of John, I chose this pose as I felt it was a typical stance of his. I feel the overall effect exudes his incredible charisma and defiant attitude,” Murphy said (via the Liverpool Airport website). “I am absolutely delighted with it and very proud it is in such an apt location.”

Yoko Ono approved of John’s statue at the airport

John found a creative muse when he met Yoko Ono as she fed his artistic passions beyond songwriting. She criticized his work on Two Virgins, the first album they made together, but they continued making art together.

Yoko never minced words when it came to artistic criticism, and she had nothing but praise for Murphy’s statue.

“John would have loved the fact that he is back home in Liverpool,” she said, per the Liverpool Airport.

John and Yoko moved to New York City in 1971. NYC’s vibrant culture appealed to him, and he split his time between New York and the Los Angeles area after The Beatles broke up. John didn’t miss England, but he regretted his decision not to tell the crown he relocated, claiming he could have saved a million pounds in taxes if he had.

The airport statue isn’t the only one of the bespectacled Beatle

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John’s airport statue isn’t the only one in the world. It’s not even the only one in Liverpool.

The John Lennon peace statue sits near the intersection of Penny Lane and Briardale Road in Liverpool. Another John statue leans against a brick wall outside the restored Cavern Club, and a third watches over the Hard Days Night Hotel a short walk from the docks on the River Mersey on the west side of Liverpool.

Tributes to John pop up around the world, including in Reykjavik, Iceland, New York City, Havana, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Czechia, according to Philadelphia’s WMGK radio.

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