She attended Jiyu-gakuen (自由学園 "Learning Garden of Freedom"), a music school, as a child, and later Sarah Lawrence College. In Japan, she first married the composer Toshi Ichiyanagi from 1956 to 1962. Then she married an American Christian fundamentalist film-maker, Tony Cox, from 28 November 1962 to 2 February 1969. They had a daughter, Kyoko Cox, who Ono did not see after the divorce until 1998.
An early member of the Fluxus art movement, Ono is now best remembered for marrying, as her third husband, The Beatles' John Lennon in the late 1960s; they had one child together, Sean Taro Ono Lennon.
Ono is often accused by Beatle fans of breaking up the band; however, in a recent interview (Jay Leno 2003), she revealed the disappointment she felt by the breakup and how it impacted a life that she was used to. There are Lennon fans who, in addition, blame Yoko Ono for the experimental (and considered bizarre and somewhat unpopular) phase that Lennon explored in his solo work immediately following the band breakup.
Ono performed with Lennon on several of his albums, beginning with the 1968 "Two Virgins" and including those recorded under the name of the Plastic Ono Band. Ono also achieved moderate success as a musician in her own right. Quite a few of her songs have been covered by other prominent musicians, including Elvis Costello's cover of "Walking On Thin Ice".
She currently resides in New York City in the United States.
See also: Japanese American
Discography
External links