Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono pay tribute to John Lennon on 81st birthday

Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono are paying tribute to music legend John Lennon on what would have been his 81st birthday.  

The iconic musician, who was killed at 40 in 1980, is being remembered by his widow Yoko Ono and McCartney.

Posting a black-and-white photo of the late music legend, McCartney wrote: "Happy Birthday thoughts for John.”

His widow took to Twitter as well to wish Lennon and their son Sean on their birthdays.

"Happy Birthday John! Happy Birthday Sean! I love you!" she wrote.

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.