John Lennon's tragic comments about assassination revealed - 'They could get you in Disneyland'

John Lennon shunned bodyguards in the lead-up to his death. The former was warned by friends that his relaxed attitude in New York City was dangerous – and he would tragically pay the ultimate price.

In 1976, Lennon said: “All my life, I’ve had guys around me who were supposed to be protecting me. When the group toured, there were hundreds of but if they want to get you, they’re gonna get you. They could get you in Disneyland.

“Look at all the people that Kennedy had around him. I don’t need bodyguards. I don’t want them. I’m just a rock’n’roll singer. Even the thought of it makes me cringe.” Moments later, added: “I’ve never been afraid of death. To me, it’s just like getting out of one car and into another.”

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His wife Yoko Ono agreed and said: “Nothing can be prevented if it’s destined to happen.” Lennon made the comments following the murder of a close friend of his dearest confidant and helper, Elliot Mintz.

The former Beatle was later shot dead in 1980 by crazed fan Mark Chapman outside The Dakota building, where he lived in NYC. Weeks before, Mintz had been there to listen to Lennon and Yoko’s newly finished Double Fantasy album.

When he left at 2am, Lennon had warned him to be careful when walking home and not to use the side of the street by Central Park. He was fretting over the safety of a friend just yards from where he would be gunned down on December 8.

Mintz flew back to the city immediately after the 40-year-old’s killing. And in a new book, he reveals that Yoko’s first words to him after Lennon’s death were: “There’s nothing anybody can do.” She was led away from the hospital by record boss David Geffen and later locked herself in a bedroom, refusing to see anyone. In February 1981, she asked Mintz to document Lennon’s possessions as staff were stealing things to sell.

He noted she looked frail and had hardly been eating or leaving the house with son Sean. Mintz says Yoko would go on to spend $1million on security in the year following Lennon’s death.

In book We All Shine On – John, Yoko, & Me, Mintz also reveals other secrets about the couple’s relationship after befriending them as a radio host in 1972. He describes the pair’s incredible closeness as well as Lennon’s temper when drinking and his jealous streak.

Lennon also dubbed the Rolling Stones “the Rolling Pebbles” as he was unimpressed by their longevity. He moaned: “The Rolling Stones followed us. Their Satanic gobbledygook came right after Sgt Pepper. We were there first. The Beatles were the revolutionaries, not the Rolling Pebbles!”

Lennon was also critical of Bob Dylan, and said: “Everyone looks at him as if he’s some kind of genius. But I’m just as good!” Despite being skinny when high on drugs, John and Yoko were preoccupied with their weight. Yoko was also obsessed with numbers and dates and sought advice from psychics on when to travel.

The couple decorated their home with unusual items, including a white Steinway piano and the last mummy allowed out of Egypt. And Lennon famously had his “lost weekend” involving an affair, possibly at Yoko’s insistence, with personal assistant May Pang in 1973. The book also recalls when Lennon had sex with a woman at a house party in 1972, which Yoko and guests overheard from the adjoining room.

Mintz writes: “John and Yoko could be incredibly sensitive, honest, provocative, caring, creative, generous and wise. They could also be self-centred, desperate, vain, petty and annoying. “In John’s case, also shockingly cruel – even to Yoko.”

Their son Sean was born in October 1975 after the couple had difficulty conceiving. Spoilt at , he was allowed to open all his presents at one minute past midnight on December 25. A small festive gathering with Paul McCartney in the final years was sadly less eventful. Mintz hoped he might see the ex-Beatles write a final song together but instead, they stood looking out to Central Park in an awkward silence.

McCartney asked Lennon if he was making any music and he replied he was “not working on anything”, adding life was all about baby Sean at that point. Mintz recalled that his former bandmate said: “Oh, I’m always recording. I couldn’t live without the music in me life.” It seemed like the pair “no longer had all that much in common”.

After meeting Yoko at one of her art shows in 1966, Lennon always trusted her implicitly, calling her “Mother”. Perhaps she replaced his lack of a parental figure after his mum Julia was fatally hit by a car in 1958.

The couple wed in 1969 soon after the Beatles broke up, with Yoko getting a lot of the blame for the split from fans. She and John worked together on music projects and a peace movement.

After his death, she continued to released music and promote peace. During their nine-year friendship, Lennon once told Mintz: “Here’s the thing you need to know about Mother [Yoko]. She’s going to ask you to do things that sound f***in’ crazy.

“There will be times when you’ll think she’s bloody mad. Just do what she tells you to do. She’s almost always right. She sees things other people can’t see.”

Yoko is now thought to be in ill health and has rarely been seen in public in the past five years. Sean is in charge of Lennon’s estate and Beatles-related business.