Yoko Ono's Incredible Journey: Love, Art, And Legacy

Yoko Ono—you’ve probably heard her name. But let me tell you, there’s so much more to her story than just being John Lennon’s wife. When she married the legendary Beatle in 1969, it was like a lightning bolt for both their lives. They met three years earlier at one of her art exhibits, sparking a romance that would captivate the world. And while she’s often remembered as John’s partner, Yoko has carved out an extraordinary career of her own, making her one of the most influential figures in modern art and music.

Now, here's something to think about—Yoko’s estimated net worth is a staggering $700 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Born in Japan in 1933, she moved to the U.S. to study at Sarah Lawrence College. Before meeting John, she married Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi in 1956. Her avant-garde art career began to take off in the early 1960s, and she quickly became known for pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo in the art world.

Her Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

Yoko’s personal life has been as complex as her art. She divorced Toshi in 1962 and married producer Anthony Cox the same year. But here’s a twist—they had to annul their marriage in 1963 because her previous divorce wasn’t finalized. Undeterred, they remarried later that year, making their union official. Together, they became artistic collaborators, and on August 8, 1963, they welcomed their daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox.

Read also:

Inside Rick Springfields Love Story With Barbara Porter A Journey Of Decades

Her Love Story with John Lennon

Yoko divorced her second husband in 1969 and married John later that year. Their connection was electric, and even while John was still married to Cynthia Lennon, they collaborated on their first experimental album. Yoko lent her vocals to The Beatles’ ninth studio album and formed The Plastic Ono Band with John. Over the years, the couple released eight studio albums together before John’s tragic death in 1980.

After losing John, Yoko felt a deep responsibility to share his artistic legacy with the world. She worked tirelessly with galleries, museums, and distributors to showcase his sketches. "Yeah. After John’s passing, the first thing I thought was … well, I have to finish Milk and Honey. But after that, I thought we should do something about John’s artwork,” Yoko revealed in an interview with Esquire in October 2015. “So I got these professional people who create that kind of program, and that worked very well. Now his work is shown in many places.”

Her Musical Journey After John

Shortly after John’s murder, Yoko released Season of Glass, which climbed to No. 49 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. She also achieved chart success with Milk and Honey, their final album together, released posthumously. In 2009, The Plastic Ono Band reunited, featuring John and Yoko’s son, Sean Lennon, as part of the lineup. The group has since collaborated with big names like Lenny Kravitz, Questlove, and the Beastie Boys.

In 2017, the National Music Publishers Association announced that Yoko would receive songwriting credits on John’s iconic hit “Imagine.” This decision came after a clip of John resurfaced where he spoke about Yoko’s influence on the song. Her son, Sean, celebrated this moment with her and has always admired her resilience in the industry. "I don’t really know where my mom got her rebellious nature from, but she obviously has it in spades,” Sean told Harper’s Bazaar in July 2017. “She just does what she feels; she doesn’t belabor anything or second-guess herself. From a very early age, she was doing completely radical work.”