Yoko Ono

Bio:
Yoko Ono (born in Tokyo, Japan on February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist who is also known for her work in performance art, music, and filmmaking. Yoko grew up in Tokyo, but she moved to New York to be with her family in 1953. She attended college at Sarah Lawrence College but never graduated because she became involved in New York City’s downtown artist scene and eloped with her first husband. Yoko, who is the well-known wife of John Lennon, first met John in 1966 at her own art exhibition in London. They became a couple in 1968. The two famously used their honeymoon in Amsterdam as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War. Yoko brought feminism to the forefront of society by using her music as a vessel. She ended up influencing the B-52s and Meredith Monk. In 1980 Yoko achieved commercial and critical acclaim with her chart-topping album Double Fantasy, which was released three weeks before John’s death. As his widow, Yoko has worked to preserve his legacy. She funded Strawberry Fields in New York City and Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland. She has also made significant philanthropic contributions to the arts, peace, the Philippine and Japan disaster relief, and other causes. In 2012, she co-founded the Artists Against Fracking group.

Best Known For:
Yoko Ono is best known for being the widow and second wife of singer-songwriter John Lennon. She is also well known for her artistry and activism.

Personal Life:
Yoko Ono left college in 1956 to elope with composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, a star in Tokyo’s experimental community. However, after living apart for several years, the couple filed for divorce in 1962. After the split, Yoko returned home to live with her parents and suffered from clinical depression. She was briefly placed in a mental institution. Later that year, Yoko married Anthony Cox, an American jazz musician, film producer, and art promotor. Anthony and Yoko had one daughter together, Kyoko Chan Cox in August 1963. Their marriage quickly fell apart but they stayed together for the sake of their careers. The couple finally divorced in 1969. Due to Yoko’s drug use, Anthony gained custody for Kyoko, and he ended up raising her under the name Ruth Holman. Yoko and John Lennon married in 1969 and stayed together until his death in 1980. John and Yoko have one son together, Sean Taro Ono Lennon.