John Lennon Named ‘Ultimate Icon’ By NME Poll

John Lennon of The Beatles has been named the “Ultimate Musical Icon of the last 60 years” by music magazine NME. The title was decided by a reader poll, in which Lennon beat out several other high-profile musicians in recent decades.

The co-frontman of the Beatles topped out the poll, which started out with 60 nominees in March. Lennon beat David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, Morrissey, Liam Gallagher, and Damon Albarn to take the crown, reports NME.

The title was decided by over 160,000 votes cast in the user poll, running over six months to ultimately correspond with NME‘s 60th birthday celebration. The definitive list of all 60 musicians in the poll will be available in NME‘s latest issue (on newsstands September 19) or for digital download here.

Following Lennon in second place was former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, while David Bowie was voted third and Alex Turner landed fourth. Following them was Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain in fifth place, Amy Winehouse in sixth, and Jimi Hendrix in seventh. The Smiths frontman Morrissey then followed in eighth place and Noel Gallagher of Oasis followed in ninth. Rounding out the top ten was Ian Curtis in last place.

Lennon’s place at the front of the list may come as no surprise to most music fans, as the celebrated musician enjoyed unrivaled success as the co-frontman of The Beatles from the late 50s to 1970 when the band broke up. After that, Lennon embarked on a successful solo career, including several collaborations with wife Yoko Ono. Though some of Lennon’s posthumous work was not well received, his status as a music legend has continued decades after his death in 1980, and his work with The Beatles continues to inspire many musical acts to this day.

Here’s a video detailing Lennon’s status as NME‘s “Ultimate Icon.” Though you may or may not agree with Lennon’s top spot on the list, I’m more curious to find out what you think of the runners up and how they were ordered. Does Liam Gallagher really deserve second place? Should Morrissey, Hendrix, and Bowie be higher up on the list? Lower? Sound off in the comments below!