The "Imagine" singer's untimely death shocked the world. Then the estimated cost of his possessions were publicly revealed, which shocked us even further.
The Beatles co-founder was murdered in New York City by die-hard fan Mark David Chapman in 1980. After his death, John Lennon's belongings are among the most expensive and desired celebrity items.
In 2011, his tooth sold for more than $30,000, and so was a lock of his hair in 2016. Around the same time, Lennon's instruments, lyric sheets, manuscripts, and artwork have respectively sold for million of dollars. For example, his Gibson J-160E guitar sold for more than $2.4 million.
In 2006, more than one hundred items were reportedly stolen from Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in New York.
Then it felt like all was lost, until...
A 58-year-old man was arrested in Berlin, Germany on suspicion of handling stolen goods. According to a spokesman for the Berlin prosecutor's office, another suspect, who lives in Turkey, has not been arrested. It's believed that the second suspect used to work as a chauffeur for Lennon's wife.
However, many of Lennon's stolen possessions were recovered by local authorities at a Berlin auction house in July.
Images of some of the items were released online.
Authorities say it's unclear when the recovered items will be returned to the late singer-songwriter's estate.