On this day...

John Lennon was assassinated by an obsessive fan in 1980. The Beatle, who enjoyed 17 number ones as a group member, and further success as a solo artist, was shot four times in front of his New York apartment. Yet the case involves a strong literary link. Lennon's assassin, Mark Chapman is associated with Salinger's 'The Catcher in Rye', almost as much as he is with his victim. Chapman's last few weeks before the shooting mirror that of the protagonist Holden; a lonely pre-Christmas rambling through the street of New York, a prostitue in a green dress and even talks with strangers on Central Park's ducks. A similar crisis of identity and purpose are often put forth as explanations for the shooting, Chapman himself stating, 'The phony must die says The Catcher in the Rye'. After he had committed the murder Chapman calmly sat down, reading the novel, to wait for the police. So synonymous is Chapman with the book, that months after, he was handing out signed copies from a stack kept in his cell. Once again it becomes debatable whether 'The Catcher in the Rye' is an accurate representation of teenage life, or merely the ramblings of a lunatic.