‘Double Fantasy’ Album John Lennon Signed For His Murderer, Mark David Chapman, Is For Sale
The copy of the Double Fantasy album John Lennon autographed for his eventual killer is up for sale. The signed copy of the 1980 classic album is being brokered by Moments in Time, according to the New York Post. John Lennon signed the album for Mark David Chapman just a few hours before Chapman murdered him outside of his apartment at the Dakota building in New York City in December 1980.
The Double Fantasy album has been on the auction block before. The unnamed individual, who found the autographed album behind the planter box in 1980, was gifted it by the district attorney after the Chapman’s murder trial and later sold it in 1999 for a mere $150,000. By 2010, the sale price for the signed record jumped up to $850,000. This time around, Moments in Time hopes to get $1.5 million for the rock music artifact.
According to CNN, Mark David Chapman staked out the Manhattan building where the ex-Beatle lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their young son, Sean, ahead of the murder. Chapman stopped Lennon and Ono as they were leaving their home for the Record Plant Studio. The deranged fan successfully got the autograph, then hung around the building until they returned hours later and shot the beloved singer five times in the back. He was waiting at the murder scene when police arrived.
"Double Fantasy" album signed by John Lennon for Mark Chapman up for sale for $1.5M https://t.co/f6cfUbgO2f pic.twitter.com/pRJho2W7fc
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 18, 2017
The discarded Double Fantasy album was found behind a flower planter box shortly after John Lennon’s murder. The signed LP was later used as a key piece of evidence in Chapman’s murder trial, and it now includes the police evidence and the killer’s “forensically enhanced fingerprints,” as well as Lennon’s priceless autograph.
Double Fantasy was the seventh and final solo album recorded by John Lennon, released on November 17, 1980. The album was initially poorly received until Lennon was murdered three weeks after its release. Several tracks on the album received heavy radio airplay including “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “Watching the Wheels” and “Woman.” Double Fantasy went on to win Album of the Year at the 24th Grammy Awards in 1981.
Mark David Chapman is currently serving 20 years to life for second-degree murder and has been denied parole nine times.
Check out the video below for one of the most popular songs from Double Fantasy.
[Featured Image by Brenda Chase/Newsmakers]
