A look at John Lennon’s final years ahead of his 40th death anniversary

John Lennon's fame and admiration stands unparalleled even 40 years after his death.

However, during his final years, biographers and journalists claim The Beatles front-man resorted to a ‘quieter’ life which many of his admirers are hardly familiar to.

With the 40th anniversary of his assassination approaching on December 8, David Sheff—who interviewed the pacifist during his final months and lived with his family—is remembering that ‘quiet’ period during which Lennon focused on being a stay-at-home dad.

“If he knew he was going to die, and if he was able to choose the period of his life that would be the focus in the future, it would be this period,” said Sheff, per NBC News.

"He was so alive, and he felt that he had something important to say about raising his baby and marriage. That's the story he would want told, I think,” he said.

Shedding more light on how Lennon raised his son Sean, Sheff wrote: "John talked baby talk, tickled [Sean], threw him in the air, slipped him between his knees and prompted him with spontaneous learning games. There was no mistaking it: John was Sean's mommy.”

Author of Lennon Revealed, Larry Kane spoke about the time he spent nurturing his son during his final years.

"He was probably, in those years, the most notable stay-at-home dad in America,” said Kane.

Lennon, 40, was shot four times by a man named Mark Chapman outside his Dakota apartment building in the Upper West Side in New York City on December 8, 1980. The singer was accompanied by his wife Yoko Ono when the incident occurred.

Chapman after shooting Lennon had stayed at the scene reading a copy of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, until he was arrested upon the police’s arrival.

His killer, driven by the longing for notoriety, had initially been eligible for parole in 2000. He had disclosed in previous hearings how he still receives letters filled with grief he caused by taking the life of a beloved musician.