Sean Ono Lennon said he has taken on a greater role in caring for his 92-year-old mother Yoko Ono’s legacy as she has settled into a quieter phase of life.

“She’s slowed down a lot, and she’s retired,” Lennon said about Yoko Ono in an interview with Anthony Mason for CBS Sunday Morning.

“She lives in Upstate New York, so I see her half the year,” Lennon said about his mother.

(Original Caption) Yoko and John...Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono, his bride of three months at the time this photo was made in Montreal in June 1969, pose in bed. His first solo album at the time featured songs telling of his love for Yoko. They held, in bed, press conferences in several cities with the theme, "make love, not war." Lennon was shot to death December 8, 1980. In a statement December 9th, Miss Ono said, "There is no funeral for John. Later in the week we will set the time for silent vigil to pray for his soul. We invite you to participate from wherever you are at the time."Yoko Ono wanted to keep John Lennon’s legacy alive after his death in 1980. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

According to a biography about Ono written by David Sheff, the Japanese artist currently lives in seclusion on a 600-acre rural farm in upstate New York and has stepped away from the public spotlight.

“She believed she could change the world, and she did…now she is able to be quiet—listen to the wind and watch the sky,” said her daughter Kyoko Ono Cox, 62, in an interview featured in the book.

Her son explained as his mom enjoys her new chapter, he’s taken over his mother’s role as custodian of his father, John Lennon’s, legacy.

“That’s why I’m kind of trying to do the work she used to do…. she deserves to kind of sit back,” 50-year-old Lennon said.

New York, N.Y.: Yoko Ono, Ringo Star and Jeff Bridges participate in a "Bed In" in front of City Hall in New York City to encourage student activism in honor of John Lennon on Sept. 13, 2018, in New York.Yoko Ono was last seen at a public event in September 2018. Newsday LLC/Louis Lanzano/Newsday RM via Getty Images

After Lennon’s death in 1980, when he was shot outside his home in New York City, Ono, as a widow, preserved his legacy by funding the Strawberry Fields memorial in Manhattan’s Central Park, the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, and the now-closed John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan. She has also become the steward of his music, alongside their only son, Sean.

“I’m just doing my best to help make sure that the younger generation doesn’t forget about The Beatles and John and Yoko,” Lennon told Mason, highlighting that he thinks it’s possible his father’s legacy could one day be forgotten.

Lennon’s parents shared one of pop culture’s most famous love stories. After meeting in 1966, they were together for 14 years, collaborating in activism and music projects.

Johm lennon and Yoko Ono in New York during the 1970s.John Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York during the 1970s. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Ono’s last public appearance was in September 2018 at “Come Together NYC”, an annual, month-long residency of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in New York City, where she was joined by former Beatles member, Ringo Starr, 85.

“People think their world will get smaller as they get older. My experience is just the opposite. Your senses become more acute. You start to blossom,” Ono told People in 2003.

Sean Ono Lennon wished his mother a happy mother's day at the 2024 Academy Awards.Sean Ono Lennon wished his mother a happy Mother’s Day at the 2024 Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Kevin Winter/Getty Images

During an appearance at the 2024 Academy Awards, where Lennon won for a film inspired by his parents’ song Happy Xmas (War Is Over), he gave a shout-out to his mother while accepting the award for Best Animated Short, wishing her “Happy Mother’s Day, Yoko!”

“My parents gave me so much that I think it’s the least I can do to try and support their legacy in my lifetime. I feel like I just owe it to them. It’s a personal thing,” he said on CBS Sunday Morning.