'A Day in the Life' lyrics fetch $1.2m

The lyrics to the final song on the classic Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band have sold for $1.2m (£810,000) at an auction in New York.

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "A Day in the Life" were purchased yesterday by a private American collector, bidding by phone at the Sotheby's sale. The pre-sale estimate was $500,000 to $800,000.

The double-sided sheet of paper features Lennon's edits and corrections. It's written in black felt marker and blue ballpoint pen, with a few annotations in red ink. Rolling Stone magazine listed "A Day in the Life" at No 26 in its compilation of the 500 greatest songs of all time.