Yoko Ono imagines post-9/11 peace

The billboard in central London

LONDON, England -- Yoko Ono, the widow of former Beatle John Lennon, has leased a billboard in the heart of London to promote the singer's message of world peace.

The board space at Piccadilly Circus -- surrounded by flashing neon signs of multi-national companies -- is said to have cost the artist and performer Ono £150,000 ($225,000) to hire.

Her poster reads "Imagine all the people living life in peace," reflecting the message from Lennon's chart-topping song "Imagine" first released in 1971.

"After the horrible events of September 11, I thought it was a very important time to remind people of this message, because the world needs peace," Ono told The Associated Press.

The artist has previously placed similar messages in New York and Tokyo in her native Japan, quoting her husband, who was shot dead in 1980 as the couple returned to their Manhattan apartment.

She said: "I first put the billboard in Times Square -- it's still up there -- and then in Tokyo, with the same message in Japanese and English.

"I wanted it in London because it's a city that I have a special love for and have fond memories of," she said.