John Lennon's 70th Celebrated in NY's Central Park

In Liverpool, Lennon's first wife, Cynthia and, their son, Julian, unveiled a sculpture to celebrate his life. Hundreds of people gathered at the city center's Chavasse Park to watch the pair cut a ribbon to reveal the statue, called "Peace and Harmony." The sculpture, which features a colorful globe with doves flying above it, was designed by 19-year-old American artist Lauren Voiers.

The two held hands and joined the crowd in singing John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."

"I think the mourning is over for John. I think it's time to celebrate," said Cynthia, 71. "Think about his life that was positive and good and just enjoy that."

She was married to John Lennon from 1962 to 1968. In New York, planned celebrations include a Saturday evening benefit concert at the Society For Ethical Culture, a short walk from Strawberry Fields. The proceeds will go to the human rights organization Amnesty International.

Capping the New York remembrances would be a Central Park screening of a documentary detailing Lennon's life in the city. Titled "LENNONYC," the new public television film to be shown at 7 p.m. in the park's Rumsey Playfield, with picnic-style seating on the ground.

Ono was set to mark her late husband's milestone birthday in Iceland with a performance by the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. She also was to present awards to people who had contributed to peace.

Just before Lennon was killed, the couple collaborated on a last album "that was so different from anything he did before," said David Edwards, a college student in Kentucky who drove 14 hours to New York City to pay tribute.

The 22-year-old found a different way to honor the slain Beatle in the bustling crowd of admirers: He sat alone on a bench with earphones on, listening to Lennon's music on his iPod while reading his book "Skywriting By Word of Mouth."

"What gets me is his humanity," Edwards said. "He was one of the first superstars who showed that he was vulnerable — he was Everyman."