It's coming up to nearly 30 years since the former Beatles legend, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City on December 8, 1980.
However, collectibles from the world of Lennon have continued to make headlines since his death and next month, the phenomenon is set to hit the big apple once again.
That's because Swann Auction Galleries are to auction 40 copies of images from Lennon's last ever photo shoot, which was conducted by photographer Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone magazine on December 8, 1980.
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The story goes that Leibovitz managed to secure the shoot by promising to use Lennon for the cover of the magazine. Despite wanting a shot of Lennon on his own, the Fab Four star insisted on featuring Yoko Ono alongside him. This led Leibovitz to suggest recreating the kissing scene from the Double Fantasy LP cover.
Lennon removed his clothing and curled up to Yoko. As Leibovitz recalls:
"What is interesting is she said she'd take her top off and I said 'Leave everything on...he curled up next to her and it was very, very strong."
As the photographer remembers, upon seeing the image Lennon remarked that Leibovitz had "captured our relationship exactly" and asked her to "promise me it'll be on the cover."
They shook on the agreement but five hours later John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark Chapman.
The images will be auctioned on October 19, 2010 in New York and carry a target price of £6,400 - 9,600 ($10,000 - 15,000) each.
The collectible images represent the latest chapter in what is proving a busy time for John Lennon memorabilia collectors.
Last week, we reported on the appearance of John Lennon's last autograph, given in the Record Plant studio on the same day as this photo shoot.
With just under three months until the 30th anniversary of the Beatles legend's death, we are already witnessing an increased amount of interest in Lennon collectibles.
Investing in a piece of the Fab Four front man's memorabilia is likely to see impressive returns in the mid to long term. Whether it's an autograph, photograph or something from the unique array of pieces linked to the iconic music star.
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