97-year-old fan of John Lennon guards statue in Havana for 14 years
Juan Gonzalez beside the bronze statue of his idol, music icon John Lennon. AP
HAVANA, Cuba—Juan Gonzalez, poses for a photo next to the bronze statue of the late Beatle John Lennon in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014.
When a statue of Lennon was inaugurated in a leafy Havana park 14 years ago, souvenir-seekers kept stealing the iconic circular spectacles that adorned it.
When officials tried to glue them on, vandals simply broke them off.
The solution: Gonzalez, the guardian of John Lennon’s glasses, who has spent nearly all his days at the park for the last 14 years.
He places the glasses gently on the crooner’s nose when tourists show up to snap pictures, then tucks them away in his pocket when they leave.
Despite his 97 years of age, Gonzalez says he’s not ready to quit this one-man mission to help preserve the memory of one of music’s all-time greats.
A fan poses for a selfie. AP
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