Photo of Gary dos Santos courtesy of Corey Kilgannon. Previously published in the New York Times.
Thirty-three years ago tonight, Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon while he was standing outside the Dakota building on 72nd street. Recently, one of the people responsible for keeping Lennon’s flame alive at Strawberry Fields in Central Park passed away too.
Gary dos Santos, who arranged flowers and other objects on the Imagine circle off of the 72nd street entrance to the park, died last month after being diagnosed with Leukemia. He was 49. Dos Santos had been tending the circle for about 20 years, asking tourists for donations and sometimes being shooed away by police. He had pledged in an interview with the Times in October to be back for today’s annual memorial.
Said one commenter on the Times story announcing his death:
“A strange bird with a great heart and a mission to keep the memory of John Lennon alive. He definitely lived outside of the usual paradigm of society, but he was committed to his task, he had a great heart, and he was always wishing well to others. He will be missed.”
The video below is from a documentary about Gary:
Gary was a very spirit of love and peace for all peeps. I am soooooooooooooo sad he has passed 🙁 Strawberry Fields will never be the same again 🙁
what? gary died? oh man I just found this now oh man!!!im from new York was always there in strawbey fields and when I left I gave so called the controls to gary oh I cant beleave it well rest in peace gary say hi to our beloved john im suure he is proud of all the work you did for him ill miss you