John Lennon Told His Close Friend 'I've Never Been Afraid of Death'
For nearly 10 years, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spoke almost every evening, sometimes for hours at a time, with their close friend Elliot Mintz.
Mintz, a Los Angeles radio and TV host, had grown close to the couple after first interviewing Yoko for her 1971 album, Fly, which led to a series of late-night conversations with Yoko — or John — and eventually, both. Over time, Mintz became one of their closest confidantes. So trusted that it was he whom Ono asked to go through John’s belongings after he was murdered on Dec. 8, 1980.
Nearly 44 years after the rock legend’s death, Mintz, 79, has written a book about their intimate friendship, We All Shine On: John, Yoko & Me.
It was a decision Mintz, who remains very close to Ono, 91, and her son, Sean Lennon, 49, made carefully. “We all know where it’s going to end,” he says. ”I was drawing from a lifetime of experience, most of it happy and joyous but I also knew we would be treading on some very sensitive waters.”
In the exclusive excerpt below, Mintz recalls a visit to their apartment in the fabled Dakota building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side after the murder of Mintz’s close friend, actor Sal Mineo, best known for his roles in such classics as Rebel Without A Cause, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, and Giant.
After Mineo was stabbed by a mugger outside of his West Hollywood apartment on Feb. 12, 1976, Mintz accompanied his body on a flight to New York and attended his funeral.
Source: Liz McNeil/people.com
