John news - Yoko still mourns his death
Yoko Ono still mourning John Lennon's murder Fri Jun 23, 2:27 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Yoko Ono said that she was still mourning the death of her husband John Lennon more than 25 years on from his murder.
The artist, 73, said their son Sean, 30, was "still suffering" after the legendary former Beatle was shot dead by a deranged fan in New York on December 8, 1980.
"It has been 25 years since my husband passed away and I still cannot get used to the idea," Ono said.
"It is not just me, but my son who is still suffering from the loss of his father.
"I must confess that widowhood was something I did not think of very much until I became a widow myself.
"Largely because it was something that is just not talked about, especially widowhood as a social issue.
"The subject of widowhood in fact remains taboo in our society, more so than sex, money or politics."
Speaking at a conference at the Foreign Office in London to mark International Widows Day, Ono highlighted the plight faced by millions of widows worldwide.
She said her son, who was five when Lennon was murdered, was "devastated" by the loss and she quickly learned how "strong" she needed to be to cope.
"We must get the message out that the problems that widows face are the problems of everyone in society," she said.
"It's not an issue to be swept under the rug. Give widows a chance."
Guests at the conference heard from former US first lady Hillary Clinton and Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The latter is the president of the Loomba Trust, the British-based charity behind the day dedicated to helping the children of poor widows and other orphaned children in India and worldwide.
The meeting was to be followed by a Bollywood concert in London's Trafalgar Square featuring Indian talk show host Shekhar Suman and performances from silver screen siren Kashmira Shah and singers Sophia, Sunidhi Chauhan and Jazzy B.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060623/en_afp/britainpeoplefamily_060623182711