'I heard the news today oh boy'

On December 8, 1980 a deluded fan called Mark Chapman did the unthinkable. He stopped John Lennon in his path, adopted the combat stance and emptied five bullets into the man who had penned classics like Imagine and Jealous Guy, and inspired generations in the process.

Along with John F Kennedy's murder in 1963, man's landing on the moon in 1969 and the attacks of September 11, 2001, the day of Lennon's murder will remain firmly ingrained in a lot of people's minds.

The Times tracked down some personalities to recall the day the music died.

DJ and television presenter Norman Hamilton was the one to announce the terrible news to Malta that day. Midway through his programme on Radio Malta one of the technicians alerted him about the shooting in New York.

"After confirming it, I had the nightmare job of broadcasting to all and sundry that one of the greatest ever musicians had been gunned down. People immediately started phoning in disbelief," he recalled.

Mr Hamilton, who also had the unenviable task of announcing Elvis Presley's death in 1977, started his DJ career with BFBS in 1962 - the year The Beatles took the world by storm.

In the weeks that followed, the airwaves were clogged with Lennon and Beatles songs as Lennon's Double Fantasy, released less than a month before his murder, shot up the music charts.

Actor Kevin Drake was ironically listening to Lennon's Shaved Fish album and putting up his Christmas tree when he heard his idol had been murdered.

"Of all the people in the world, you'd expect Lennon to be the last person to be murdered," he said. Still in disbelief for the next few days, Mr Drake went on to buy the entire back catalogue of the Beatles.

Columnist and journalist Lou Bondì is a self-proclaimed Beatles' addict.

"I was living in Toronto at the time. It was an extremely cold night, it was snowing and I ended up staring into oblivion as I heard the news," he said.

Mr Bondì, who has a life-sized poster of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album hanging in his office, simply could not fathom why someone would want to kill the man who wrote Imagine. Ivan Grech, lead singer with rock band Winter Moods, was only 11 when Lennon was murdered. "I was playing snooker at the Senglea King's Own Band when someone stormed in to give the news. I might have been young but I was already into the Beatles and realised the significance of the whole matter. I was shocked, but above all, I was angry, because he still had so much to give," Mr Grech said.

By the time he turned 16, Mr Grech developed into a Lennon disciple. He had no choice as the music of the Beatles was constantly playing at home. "War is Over still brings tears to my eyes - rarely has a song managed to evoke feelings of happiness and sadness at the same time. And we're reminded of his magic this time of the year."

DJ Joe Tanti admits he is no fan of John Lennon, often dismissing him as yet another rock star on an ego trip. Yet, he admits his anger and frustration as he learnt of the news as he was travelling in the desert.

"I was actually crossing from Tripoli to Chad when I heard the news on the BBC World Service. I tried to explain to the Pakistani driver what had just happened but he looked on obliviously. It was suffocating, as I couldn't even phone anybody back home to discuss the issue. Mr Tanti admitted that until then he still believed that the Beatles would one day be reunited.

Labour MP Leo Brincat had just landed from a visit to the US when he heard the shocking news. "Lennon was my favourite member of the Beatles. He was deep, profound, and such an inspiration, even if you disagreed with his revolutionary phase. And 25 years after his death Lennon is today as relevant as Bob Dylan," Mr Brincat, once a part-time DJ, said.

DJ Noel Mallia stood motionless in front of the mirror for minutes as his wife relayed the news aired by the BBC Word Service. Regaining his composure, he quickly wrote a script before presenting a tribute to Lennon on radio.

"He might have been cynical, perhaps even mean for some people, but Lennon ultimately stood for peace, love and fraternity. Even people alien to rock music felt something the moment he died.

"The Beatles were an icon - and icons are never gunned down."

In tomorrow's edition of The Times, the 25th anniversary of Lennon's death, music critic Eric Montfort will give his impressions of the legendary singer if he were still around today.