17 Disturbing Photos With Horrifying Backstories
8. An Autograph For An Assassin
This next entry is likely the most recognizable image on the list. Pictured is music icon John Lennon of The Beatles, signing a copy of his album Double Fantasy for Mark David Chapman, the man who would murder him less than six hours later.
Chapman had initially been a big Beatles fan, idolizing Lennon, but once he became a born-again Christian he turned on the band, incensed at Lennon's claims that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. He was also angry at Lennon's hypocritical stance on material possessions, viewing his wealth as a direct contradiction to his lyrics on Imagine and an affront to people who had adopted the lifestyle he espoused while not living that way himself.
The gunman approached his target as he was leaving his apartment for a trip to the recording studio, and asked him for the autograph. The unwitting musician signed the record and then went on his way. Hours later when he returned from his trip to Record Plant, Chapman fired several shots from a .38, striking Lennon in his back and shoulder, and then remained at the scene until police arrived, unnervingly reading Catcher In The Rye.