Yoko Ono still with John

Yoko Ono says she decided to stay living at The Dakota Building, where her husband John Lennon was shot, because she believes his presence is still there.

Yoko Ono still lives in the building where John Lennon shot because she believes he is "still here".

The Beatles legend was gunned down outside The Dakota Building, in New York, in 1980 by deranged fan Mark Chapman, but the Japanese artist chooses to stay there because she can still feel his presence in their apartment.

When asked if she stays in the home because it makes her feel closer to her late husband, Yoko said: "Of course, yeah. John is still here. The vibes he put here, the places he touched. I mean, check the DNA or whatever it is, it's still here."

However, Yoko - who became John's second wife in 1969 - admits she received a barrage of criticism for choosing to keep the property in the wake of his death.

She added to Q magazine: "It was racism and sexism, 'We white people would never do that - stay in a place where somebody close to you died. It might be some kind of Asian trip. They are a bit more barbaric than us, so she doesn't mind staying there.'

"I mean, that is just totally wrong. Just think about it, if it were the other way around. If I had died and John was here with our son Sean, staying in this apartment because it was the place that we created, a home. You would be saying, 'Oh, how sweet.' "