JOHN Lennon was shot dead 20 years ago today. His murder rocked the world in the same manner as Princess Diana's death 17 years later. Both were on the cusp of a new and hopeful era when their lives were ended abruptly.

Many dreams died with John Lennon. The largest part of the Sixties vision of peace and love, personified by the singer, was lost. So too was the probably forlorn hope that The Beatles would reform.

What remains is a huge public appetite for their music, some of the most creative and enduring ever written. The fact that the book and album charts will be dominated by The Beatles this Christmas is the greatest tribute to John Lennon.