Yoko Ono's Marriages: A Look at Her Three Unions
Yoko Ono has been married three times in her life, with her most famous marriage being to John Lennon. Her first marriage was to Toshi Ichiyanagi, a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist, in 1956. They collaborated musically and artistically before separating in 1962. Ono then married filmmaker Anthony Cox in 1962, but their first marriage was annulled due to Ono's unresolved divorce from Ichiyanagi. They remarried in 1963 and had a daughter named Kyoko Chan Cox before divorcing in 1969. Ono's final and most well-known marriage was to John Lennon in 1969, and they had a son named Sean Lennon in 1975. Their relationship became a famous love story in pop culture history.
Toshi Ichiyanagi, Ono's first husband, was a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist whom she married in 1956. They eloped due to Ichiyanagi not being acceptable to Ono's family. The couple immersed themselves in the experimental art and music scenes of the era, including the radical Fluxus movement. They ended their marriage in 1962, and Ichiyanagi passed away in 2022 at the age of 89.
Ono's second marriage was to Anthony Cox, a fellow artist, in 1962. Their marriage was annulled in 1963 but they remarried once Ono finalized her divorce from Ichiyanagi. They had a daughter named Kyoko Chan Cox in 1963 before divorcing in 1969. The custody battle over Kyoko between Ono and Cox became contentious, with Cox ultimately gaining full custody and disappearing with Kyoko. They reunited in 1994, and Ono wouldn't see her daughter again until 1998.
Yoko Ono's last marriage was to John Lennon in 1969. They met in London in 1966 and began an affair, leading Lennon to leave his first wife, Cynthia Lennon, and their son, Julian. Lennon and Ono's relationship was filled with music, art, and activism, and they had a son named Sean Taro in 1975. Lennon was tragically shot and killed in 1980, leaving Ono to continue upholding his legacy. Their love story remains one of the most famous in pop culture history.