Paul McCartney was among those celebrities making an appearance during the March for Our Lives protests over the weekend, appearing in the crowd in New York City. For this musician, it's an important event for a personal reason, as he remembers the loss of his dear friend John Lennon.

Paul McCartney at Desert Trip festivalPaul McCartney at Desert Trip festival

The 75-year-old Beatle couldn't help but remember his former bandmate as he marched on Manhattan's Upper West Side alongside his wife Nancy Shevell on Saturday (March 24th 2018), as he was only a few blocks away from the very spot where John Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman back in 1980.

'One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here', Paul reminded reporters at the March for Our Lives. 'So, it's important to me.'

The exact location of the New York march was around 72nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, which will give you some idea of how near they were to The Dakota building on the northwest corner of 72nd Street. Lennon was shot four times under the Dakota archway on December 8th 1980, succombing to his wounds upon arrival at  Roosevelt Hospital. Gunman Chapman remains imprisoned for his crimes. 

McCartney admits that he doesn't know if protests such as these could really help to put an end to gun violence in the future, but it's something he feels is worth doing. 'This is what we can do, so I'm here to do it', he said.

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Further marches took place in Parkland, Florida less than two months after the tragic high school shooting there, as well as the nation's capital Washington D.C.. The latter saw attendees the likes of Amal and George Clooney and Jimmy Fallon, with such artists as Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Lovato, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Miley Cyrus performing live.