Yoko Ono facts: Artist's age, children and relationship with John Lennon revealed

3 November 2023, 11:47

Yoko Ono rose to international fame when she married Beatles star John Lennon in the 1969. Here's some key facts about the Japanese artist and musician.

Yoko Ono was an influential artist during the '60s who was born in Japan and grew up mainly in Tokyo.

In 1966 she moved to London, where she met Beatles band member John Lennon when he attended her exhibition at a gallery in the city. Just two years later they began collaborating on creative projects.

Here are some key facts about Ono:

1. How old is Yoko Ono and where is she from?

   View this post on Instagram

   A post shared by Yoko Ono (@yokoonoofficial) on Dec 17, 2019 at 9:04am PST

   Yoko was born on February 18, 1933. She celebrated her 90th birthday in 2023.

   She was born in Tokyo City, to parents Isoko Ono and Eisuke Ono, a wealthy banker and former classical pianist.

   The kanji translation of Yōko means "ocean child".

   Two weeks before Yoko's birth, Eisuke was transferred to San Francisco by his employer. The rest of the family followed later, with Yoko meeting her father when she was two. In 1940, they moved to New York.

2. When did Yoko and John Lennon get married? And what was their relationship like?

   

   Ono and Lennon married in 1969 after meeting three years before at an exhibition of Yoko's work in a London gallery.

   Before the pair wed, Lennon was married to his first wife, Cynthia Powell.

   But in May 1968, while Lennon's wife was on holiday, he invited Ono to visit – and his wife came home from her trip to find Yoko wearing her bathrobe and drinking tea with Lennon.

   • The Story of... 'Imagine' by John Lennon

   View this post on Instagram

   John and I got married on March 20th 1969. Exactly 46 years ago. When somebody told us that we actually got married on the first day of Spring, we just looked at each other and went Wow!

   A post shared by Yoko Ono (@yokoonoofficial) on Mar 20, 2015 at 9:33am PDT

   Together they shared one son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, who is also a musician and songwriter.

   The pair did separate in 1973, but reconciled shortly after and remained married until Lennon's death in 1980.

   Ono continues to work to preserve his legacy.

3. How many children does Yoko have?

   

   Yoko had her first child, Kyoko Chan Cox, with American film producer and art promoter Anthony Cox in 1963.

   Her second child, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, was born in 1975.

4. What art has Yoko created?

   

   BED PEACE starring John Lennon & Yoko Ono

   As a multimedia artist, Yoko has produced a range of works from visual art and performances, to filmmaking and experimental music.

   Often, Yoko's earlier artistic works would involve members of the public getting involved, such as walking over a canvas or getting them to cut away parts of her clothing.

   When she met Lennon, the couple performed experimental artwork together, including their weeklong antiwar protest from their honeymoon suite – also known as their 'Bed-In'.