The Beatles' John Lennon's son on 'void' of losing his dad and his parents' relationship

John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's son, Sean Ono Lennon has opened up on how the tragedy of his dad's death affected him and how the tragedy led to music being an outlet for his creativity. Sean was only five-years-old when the Beatles star was shot dead in New York by Mark David Chapman.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Sean revealed he didn't know how to fill the 'void' after losing his dad at such a young age. He said: "I never played music because I was good at it. I lost my father and I didn't know how to fill that void. Learning how to play his songs on guitar was a way to process the loss with an activity that made me feel connected to him."

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He spoke about losing a parent and how it means things can motivate you more. And for Sean, making music always made him feel like he was getting to know his dad better. Born on October 9, 1975, Sean Ono Lennon is the only son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. John shares his older son, Julian Charles John, with his ex-wife Cynthia Lennon.

Sean has had a successful solo career, releasing albums, composing film scores, and collaborating with other artists. He has released two solo albums, Into the Sun (1998) and Friendly Fire (2006). He has covered John's music in the past and at the end of 2018 collaborated with Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson for a cover of Yoko Ono and John Lennon's original Christmas song "Happy Xmas (War is Over).

The 49-year-old was also recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for the reissue of his father’s 1973 album ‘Mind Games’, for which Sean oversaw new “meditation” mixes. Sean told PEOPLE that the "whole album is about my mum"

Talking about the relationship between his parents, the artist added "My dad declared to the world that ‘John and Yoko’ were one word. I think he always had his heart set on her. He was so in love with her. They had a legendary love and I think that this album is infused with that love. You can hear it.”

Sean, who was born in New York, visited Liverpool in 2022 to open the University of Liverpool's Yoko Ono Lennon centre. When the building's name was announced, Yoko Ono Lennon said: “I am thrilled to be recognised with the naming of the new performance centre at the University of Liverpool. Thank you to the University and to the people of Liverpool for this wonderful honour."

Sean Ono Lennon added: “They used to say behind every great man was a great woman. But my parents famously stood beside each other as equals.

"It is a beautiful statement that the University of Liverpool would recognise my mother in this way. In a city synonymous with my father’s achievements it is especially meaningful to acknowledge Yoko Ono for the remarkable human being that she is. I’m just really chuffed to be here.”