John Lennon fans gather at his Hollywood star on 72nd birthday

Every year, John Lennon's fans gather at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to mark his birthday and the day he was killed.

Somehow, they say, it makes them feel closer to him.

Had he lived, Lennon would have turned 72 on Tuesday. He was shot to death by Mark David Chapman eight years before he got his star — which is on Vine Street, outside Capitol Records.

Photos: Happy birthday, John Lennon

On Tuesday evening, about 50 people showed up at his star. They signed a birthday card and ate birthday cake, and Sienna Niniz, 13, of Highland Park cried because she would never, ever get to meet him.

On the outside, such a scene can seem crazy — too much devotion and time warp. But something happens in the middle of it all on the pavement, when the sun starts to set and the sky over Hollywood turns first gold, then tangerine-pink. Candles flicker. People start to sing.

"Imagine all the people..." floats through the open windows of passing cars.

HOLLYWOOD STAR WALK: John Lennon

Big city turns into cozy living room. Santa Monica activist Jerry Rubin has organized gatherings for Lennon since 1981, the year after the singer was killed. He does the same for George Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001.

Rubin, 68, wore shorts and a green T-shirt with a blue peace sign on it. He stamped blue peace signs on the hands of all who came. And when he noticed that the decorators of the cake provided by Capitol Records had iced Mercedes logos instead of peace signs, he cut pieces of cardboard off a box of plastic forks to make them right.

Most in the crowd were familiar to him, he said. Chris Carter, host of the "Breakfast with the Beatles" radio show, who always cuts the cake at these gatherings, described those assembled as "the hard-core Apple scruffs."

Philip Lopez, 40, fit the bill. He came from La Puente with his wife, Fatima, and their 5-year-old son, Lennon, who said he liked the Lennon song "All the People."

"It means a lot to be here," said the older Lopez. "It's not just about his music. It's about what he stood for: peace, love, coming together."

Here's what I sent out on Twitter from the scene:

 

ALSO:

Walk of Fame: John Lennon's star

Protestants no longer majority in U.S., study finds

San Francisco sheriff keeps job despite domestic violence claims

-- Nita Lelyveld in Hollywood

You can follow Lelyveld's City Beat on Twitter and on Facebook. Send ideas for City Beat dispatches to nita.lelyveld@latimes.com.

Photo: Scotti Boettner lights candles as fans gather Tuesday outside the Capitol Records building to celebrate John Lennon's birthday. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times.