Google apparently wanted to get a head start in wishing the late John Lennon a happy birthday this year. If John Lennon were still alive, he would be 70-years-old on Saturday October 9th.

Google today had a special logo up on their homepage that shows a little illustration of Lennon in place of one of the “O’s” in the word “Google”. This is a Google Doodle video that has been created in honor of the music legend. The creator of the artistic video is Mike Dutton, who explained it in more detail on Google’s blog:

“There’s a lot that can be said about John Lennon, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Even more can be said about the individual experiences people have had growing up with his music. It seems like everyone has a Lennon story. The earliest memory I have of him is listening to his songs in the backseat of our old station wagon with my brothers, watching my mom and dad sing along on the cassette player. It’s a very simple memory, but rich with subtlety–the sunlight through the windshield, my mom’s smile–and so it’s stuck with me. And maybe that’s what John’s music is about. There’s an earnest simplicity to it, yet I’m sure any one of us, regardless of whether or not we were around during his time, could describe some way he has deeply enriched our lives.

Starting today and all day tomorrow, which would have been John’s 70th birthday, we’re celebrating him with our first-ever animated video doodle. The old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” still rings true, so I hope a moving picture will help me adequately–and simply–thank John for the memories.”

Why did Google choose to display the image today, and not actually on his birthday? No one can really be sure, but it looks like they wanted to be the first to wish him a happy birthday.

John Lennon could very easily still be alive today if he wasn’t murdered on the night of December 8, 1980 at the entrance of his New York apartment building. The murderer, Mark David Chapman remains in prison to this day.

Take a look at the John Lennon Tribute that is currently on Google’s homepage.