Stiller mourned Lennon's death at vigil
Ben Stiller felt connected to John Lennon following the rocker's assassination in 1980 - he joined thousands of fans in a famous vigil outside the Beatles legend's New York apartment.
As a wannabe rock star, Stiller was inspired by living just blocks away from his idol Lennon's apartment in the Dakota building.
When news leaked out that the singer had been murdered by Mark Chapman, thousands of stunned fans gathered outside the residence - and 15-year-old Stiller felt compelled to join them.
He recalls: "I lived in 84th Street and Lennon lived at the Dakota, 12 blocks away. My friend Jonathan and I were fledgling musicians - we had a band and we were big Beatles fans. When we heard he'd been shot we went down to the Dakota and stayed out there in that crowd of people the whole night.
"It was so sad I couldn't believe it. No one knew what to do - people were crying and chanting Give Peace A Chance."
And the star insists it was one of the most memorable experiences of his life: "It was like group mourning and I think for a teenager it was a unique experience. I felt connected to him because of the music and because he was a real New Yorker. I always felt it was the coolest thing in the world that he lived in our neighbourhood."
