video transcript

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL Peace activist and avant-garde artist Yoko Ono is celebrating her eightieth birthday on Monday (February 18). The widow of former Beatle, John Lennon, Ono was born in Tokyo in 1933. Ono, who married Lennon on March 20, 1969, was a polarizing figure among Beatles fans. She was blamed for the breakup of The Beatles and was criticized for her influence over Lennon and his music. Since Lennon's death she has become a more beloved figure, managing her husband's work as well as pursuing her own artistic goals. Ono remains an active artist and rights campaigner. Most recently she joined the call to free the imprisoned members of Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot, saluting their stand for freedom of speech after being handed a two-year sentence for staging a "punk prayer" in Moscow's main cathedral. She also awarded Lady Gaga a peace prize as part of the organization established in the name of her late husband. Ono married three times, the third was to Lennon and she has two children, a daughter with second husband, jazz musician Anthony Cox and a son Sean who has found some success in the music business like his father John.