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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Ono marks Lennon's 67th birthday


Fans of John Lennon will join his widow, Yoko Ono, in Iceland to mark what would have been his 67th birthday by unveiling a peace tower in his name.

Ono, who designed the monument 40 years ago, will turn its lights on in Reykjavik later to the music of Lennon's 1975 song Imagine.

The director of the city's Lennon museum, Hatfort Ingvason, told it would be a "memorable night".

The tower will be engraved with "imagine peace" in 24 languages.

'Peace beacon'

Ingvason said Ono had chosen Iceland because of its peaceful reputation.

"It was importantly positioned between the two superpowers during the Cold War - between the Soviet Union and the United States," he told Radio 5 Live.


I consider myself very fortunate to see the dream my husband and I dreamt together become reality
Yoko Ono

"She wanted this tower of light, this peace beacon between the super powers to remind everybody that peace was possible," he added.

The musician predicted 40 years ago that the tower, which is designed by Ono, would eventually become a reality.

"I consider myself very fortunate to see the dream my husband and I dreamt together become reality," said Ono.

It is hoped Icelandic pop star Bjork will attend Tuesday's ceremony.

Ingvason said they expect a lot of visitors from abroad who have travelled to the country for the event.

Some 100,000 wishes from people around the world will be placed in capsules and buried around the momument.

The permanent installation is twenty metres high and one metre wide.

The column of light will shine until 8 December, the 27th anniversary of Lennon's death.

It will be lit again on New Years Eve and at the beginning of spring.

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