YOKO: STILL AN ENIGMA

As John Lennon’s widow turns 90, we take a look at her life of love, grief, chaos and depression  

- NICI DE WET

SHE still lives in the sprawling apartment she shared with the love of her life, despite the bittersweet memories it holds and the tragedy that unfolded on the street outside. 

And it’s likely Yoko Ono was in her home when she recently celebrated her milestone 90th birthday. 

Over the past few years the world has seen little of the raven-haired, bespectacled Japanese-born artist who won the heart of John Lennon and who many blamed for the breakup of The Beatles. 

Dogged by depression for decades, she’s become a virtual recluse as she battles mobility issues that have reportedly left her needing round-the-clock care. 

But Yoko has always been something of an enigma and she continues to keep people guessing about the life she leads in the famous Dakota building in Manhattan’s swanky Upper West Side. 

She might not often be seen out and about, but she’s an avid tweeter and recently posted about how she goes for “regular four-mile [about 6,4km] walks” to help clear her mind. 

“There’s something I do to get out of depression,” she said. “I walk about 80 city blocks. That gives me a real high.” 

Yet it’s hard to believe. When she’s seen in public she’s either in a wheelchair or leaning heavily on a cane, a tiny, frail figure clad in black, her ubiquitous sunglasses perched on her nose.