Photo:R. Brigden/Daily Express/Getty
R. Brigden/Daily Express/Getty
Yoko Onohas been married four times, to three men in total.
The artist and activist was first married in 1956 to Toshi Ichiyanagi, an acclaimed Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist. Together, they collaborated musically and artistically all over the world before separating in 1962.
Later that year, Ono wed Anthony Cox — a fellow creative, with a focus on the arts and filmmaking. Their first marriage was annulled in 1963 since Ono neglected to finalize her divorce from Ichiyanagi; the two married again once they were legally able.
Before divorcing in 1969, Ono and Cox welcomed daughter Kyoko Chan Cox. Kyoko spent much of her early lifein Denmark with her father, where he moved after the divorce.
Ono’s fina marriage was toJohn Lennonin 1969. Their 13-year romance went on to become one of the most famous love stories in pop culture history.
LennontoldPlayboyin 1980, “When I fell in love with Yoko, I knew, my God, this is different from anything I’ve ever known … This is more than a hit record, more than gold, more than everything.”
Ono and Lennon welcomed their only child, Sean Lennon, in October 1975.
Here’s everything to know about Ono’s former husbands.
Toshi Ichiyanagi
Toshi Ichiyanagi in 1961.The Asahi Shimbun via Getty
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty
Toshi Ichiyanagi was Ono’s first husband, who she married in 1956. The musician, a pianist and one of Japan’s leading avant-garde composers, moved from Japan to the United States in the 1950s to pursue a higher education in music.
He studied at the Juilliard School in New York, where he met Ono, who was also interested in experimental music. They were similar in age, born almost two weeks apart.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple eloped in 1956 because Ichiyanagi “was not acceptable to Ono’s family,” and the two lived the life of two avant-garde artists at the time.
Ichiyanagi and Cage took their music on the road together, sometimes including Ono. Ichiyanagi even took his professor to Japan in 1962, introducing him to the music of that culture. Tour aside, Ichiyanagi and Ono also hosted music sessions at their Tribeca loft, featuring performances highlighting music, poetry and dance.
Ichiyanagi and Ono ended their marriage in 1962. Ichiyanagi died at age 89 in Tokyo on Oct. 7, 2022.
Anthony Cox
Yoko Ono and Anthony Cox in 1965.Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
Ono married for a second time in November 1962. She wed Cox, who, like Ono, had many artistic specialties — however, the couple’s marriage was annulled in March 1963 because Ono neglected to finalize her divorce from Ichiyanagi.
Once she properly finalized their divorce, Ono married Cox again in June 1963. Two months later, the pair welcomed their first child, daughter Kyoko Chan Cox, together in August 1963.
The pair was very career focused. While Ono pursued art full-time, Cox was an American jazz musician, artist and filmmaker. As Cox remembers it, he was very much a part of the ’60s.
“I grew up with the whole scene—I was a beat, then I was a beatnik, then I was a hippie,“PEOPLE reportedin 1986. Ultimately, the couple divorced in February 1969.
Ono’s divorce from Cox and subsequent marriage to Lennon — who she wed later that year — instigated a custody battle over Kyoko, which at times grew increasingly contentious. Cox relocated to Denmark and took their daughter with him.
Over New Years' in 1970, Ono and Lennonvisited Denmark in an apparent attemptto mend fences, and for a brief time it was successful; the famous couple stayed at the farmhouse Cox shared with Kyoko and Cox’s new wife.
“When Kyoko appeared finally, I was totally in shock,” Ono later told PEOPLE. “It felt like the part of me that was missing came back.”
Onowouldn’t see her daughter againuntil 1998. “Losing my daughter was a very serious pain,” she said. “There was always some empty space in my heart.”
John Lennon
John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the 1975 Grammy Awards.Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Ono’s last marriage was to John Lennon, who she wed in 1969. Their relationship became into one of the most well known love stories in pop culture history.
Soon after, they began an affair, which prompted Lennon to leave his first wife,Cynthia Lennon, and their 5-year-old son,Julian. While their divorce is often attributed to Lennon’s affair with Ono, the songwriter later insisted in an open letter to Cynthia that things between them were over before the affair.
“When I fell in love with Yoko, I knew, my God, this is different from anything I’ve ever known,” Lennon toldPlayboy.“This is more than a hit record, more than gold, more than everything.”
Lennon and Ono joined together for their first-ever musical collaboration,Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, over the course of one weekend in spring 1968 at Lennon’s home in Kenwood, England — the same weekend Cynthia came home to discover Lennon’s affair, pertheGuardian.
The following year, they flew to Gibraltar, where they secretly tied the knot. “It was very romantic. It’s all in the song, ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko,’ if you want to know how it happened, it’s in there,” Lennon told author Jann Werner forLennon Remembers, perRolling Stone.
Throughout the 13 years they were together, their relationship was filled with music, art and activism which ranged from peaceful protests to experimental albums — andsome strife between friends and Beatles bandmates.In October 1975, the pair welcomed their first and only child together,Sean Taro.
Five years later,Lennon was shot and killedwhile walking into their New York City apartment. In the decades since, Ono has continued touphold his legacy, accepting awards on his behalf at the Grammys and at his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
source: people.com
