Cynthia Lennon Said Yoko Ono Spread an ‘Ugly Rumor’ To Benefit Concert for John Lennon’s Birthday

Cynthia wrote in her book John that it would be staged in the United States and televised worldwide. "The funds raised will support charitable ventures in John's name..." I thought about it for a long time, but it seemed so appropriate and worthwhile that I had to say yes." Cynthia worked for months to organize the show. She assumed that obtaining Ono's endorsement would be the greatest way to secure its success. They met in her New York apartment to discuss it. "As I explained about the planned concert the work and ideas that had gone into it, Yoko said nothing," she recalled. "She did not smile.
My heart fell, but I persisted, showing her the plans and arguing that it would be extremely beneficial to our sons and John's followers if we could all support the event and commemorate John's legacy together. When I finished, Yoko said she would think about it and get back to me. Cynthia learned Ono's decision few days after their encounter. "A few days after I met with Yoko, Sam Havadtoy called me. 'Yoko does not want to participate in your show,' he informed me. Cynthia added, "In fact, she has been planning a concert for John for quite some time." "I was speechless." . Cynthia's preparations were further thwarted when Ono mentioned the concert in an interview.
She said that the organizers intended to profit from their efforts. Cynthia claimed this was not true, but she knew it would irreversibly jeopardize their objectives. Soon after Sam's call, Yoko gave an interview to the press, claiming that I meant to make millions from the event, despite having told her that it was for charity," she wrote. "When I read it, I knew our concert was ruined. Once the unpleasant rumor that we were not honest began to surface, it would instill distrust in potential performers. Eventually, they decided to cancel the show.
Despite Cynthia and Bernstein's cancellations, Ono went forward with her scheduled benefit event. Yoko organized a concert named Come Together. Cynthia wrote that the event took place in Liverpool in May 1990. "Only fifteen thousand people attended instead of the planned forty-five thousand, and no one from John's family received a ticket." I'm sure Yoko was disappointed by the modest turnout, but I was just sorry we hadn't been able to accomplish something together; I thought it might have been a huge success."

#johnlennon #cynthialennon #yokoono