Yoko Ono

Though she's long be accused of breaking up the Beatles, Ono has established herself as a talented musician and artist. In fact, she was one of performance art's first practitioners years before she met John Lennon. Ono earned a degree in philosophy from Tokyo's Gakushuin University. She also attended New York's Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied philosophy and music. Her marriages to Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi and art promoter Tony Cox ended in divorce. Ono met John Lennon at her one-woman performance art show in 1966 in London.

Ono's music is characterized by its atonality and experimentation. The shrill-voiced singer has recorded several pop albums, including Seasons of Glass (1981), It's Alright (I See Rainbows) 1982, and Rising (1995). She has influenced a number of post-punk bands, including the B-52s and Public Image Limited.