KEY POINTS

  • The "Double Fantasy" album copy that John Lennon signed for his killer is up for auction once again
  • The musician signed the album hours before he was fatally shot outside his apartment 
  • The album, which still has the police markings from the examination, has a starting bid of $400,000 

The album John Lennon signed for his killer, Mark Chapman, is going up for auction once again.

The legendary Beatles member, who continued to be a cultural icon, signed the record hours before he was fatally shot in the archway of the Dakota, his residence in Manhattan, Page Six reported. The shocking murder, on Dec. 8, 1980, became one of the most tragic events in the history of music and popular culture.

The album will be put up for sale by Goldin Auctions on Monday, and it has a starting bid of $400,000. The signed copy was submitted as evidence to the New York Police Department, which was investigating the musician’s murder.

According to Goldin Auctions, the police markings from the examination can be found on both the front and back of the record.

Chapman, who has been denied parole 11 times, apologized to Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow, earlier this year and said that he killed the “Hey Jude” hitmaker for “self-glory” and deserved the death penalty, the BBC reported. He shot Lennon four times outside his NYC apartment as Ono looked on.

“I just want to reiterate that I'm sorry for my crime. I have no excuse. This was for self-glory. I think it's the worst crime that there could be to do something to someone that's innocent. He was extremely famous. I didn't kill him because of his character or the kind of man he was. He was a family man. He was an icon,” Chapman said during the hearing.

The album, which was released in 1980, was the fifth studio album recorded by Lennon and Ono. It received mixed reviews from the critics upon its release. However, the album became a worldwide commercial success after Lennon’s death and sold 3 million units in the U.S.

“Double Fantasy” went on to achieve the numero uno position in countries like Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K.

The album was nominated for three Grammys and won the Album of the Year accolade in 1982.

Lennon was one of the most significant members of The Beatles, which was formed in Liverpool in 1960. The singer is responsible for writing some of the band's biggest songs, including “Come Together,” “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “Help!”

John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the cover of "Double Fantasy"
NOVEMBER 17: Album cover for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's record "Double Fantasy" which was released on November 17, 1980. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images