LONDON (REUTERS) - A lyric from John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono's Imagine has been projected on buildings around the world to mark 50 years since the late Beatle released the famed track and album.

From the Houses of Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral in London to Times Square in New York, "Imagine all the people living life in peace" has been beamed onto the sites to celebrate the anniversary on Thursday (Sept 9).

Lennon released the album Imagine on Sept 9, 1971 and its title track has long been considered one of the greatest songs of all time, according to music publications.

"John would have loved this. Imagine embodied what we believed together at the time," Ono, 88, said in a statement.

"We are still together now and we still believe this. The sentiment is just as important now as when it was written and released 50 years ago."

The lyric was also beamed on Tuesday night in Berlin, Tokyo and in Lennon's home city of Liverpool, mirroring a similar projection campaign by Ono 20 years ago.

A limited edition pressing of the Imagine album as a double LP on white vinyl is being released on Friday to mark the anniversary.

Lennon died at the age of 40 after he was shot by a fan in New York City on Dec 8, 1980.