The 2024 Oscars were held on Sunday, March 10, coinciding with Mother’s Day in the U.K. During the emotional win for best animated short film for “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” Sean Ono Lennon, the son of Yoko Ono and the late Beatles legend John Lennon, made sure to give his mom a special shout-out.
Ono Lennon, who was an executive producer on the short film, joined director Dave Mullins and producer Brad Booker on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. After Mullins and Booker gave their speeches, Sean took a moment to honor Yoko Ono, even though the “wrap-it-up” music was already playing.
“My mother turned 91 this February,” he told the crowd. “Can everyone say ‘happy Mother’s Day to Yoko’?” The audience followed his request, sending well-wishes to the “Give Peace a Chance” artist.
Sean is the only child of Ono and John Lennon, born in 1975. Ono also has a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, with her ex-husband, film producer Anthony Cox. John Lennon had a son, Julian Lennon, from his marriage to his first wife, Cynthia.
“WAR IS OVER!,” which Sean co-wrote with Mullins (although he didn’t win the Oscar), is set during World War I. It tells the story of a carrier pigeon delivering messages between two soldiers playing a chess game, unaware they are on opposite sides.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon collaborated on several occasions before Lennon’s death in 1980, most notably on the song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” The track has become a classic Christmas tune, reaching No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022, more than 50 years after its release.
