John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono’s health is failing and recently the 87-year-old appeared in public in a wheelchair while new information has emerged that she requires round-the-clock care, according to a report.
The innovative artist rarely steps out of her apartment in The Dakota, and when she was spotted in May 2018, she was struggling to walk with a cane. It is unclear what her medical condition is, but an unnamed source told New York Post that Ono is still ailing.
Close family friend Elliot Mintz, who also represents the John Lennon estate, confirmed that Ono was starting to slow down.
"She has definitely slowed down, like anyone at that age," he said. Mintz also recalled Ono's low-key birthday this year, which was unlike her previous big bashes organized by her 44-year-old son, Sean Lennon.
"She blew out the candles with Sean and she was among the last to leave," Mintz told The Post. "She was in good spirits. I helped her into her wheelchair and gently helped her into her car."
Ono also has reportedly been selling off some of her $700 million real-estate assets. In 2010, she sold off a building that she had owned for 95 years, which housed two residential units and was located at 110 W. 79th St., for $6,450,000. In 2013 she also sold off a 5,700-square-foot penthouse at 49-51 Downing St. in the West Village for $8.3 million, according to The Post.
Mintz has refused to comment on the "illness" Ono has been battling and instead chose to honor her spirited personality.
"She is a particularly special being," he said. "In these 87 years, she’s lived 400."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
Related Stories:
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.