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John Lydon stated that his former bandmates from the Sex Pistols did not reach out to him following the death of his wife, Nora Forster, who passed away in April 2023 after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, as per Billboard. In an interview with The Times, Lydon—known as Johnny Rotten during his tenure with the band—revealed that he had not received communication from guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, or drummer Paul Cook after Forster’s demise.
I expected some kind of connection when Nora died, but nothing,
Forster was married to Lydon for nearly fifty years. During her final years, Lydon assumed the role of her full-time caregiver and publicly discussed the profound emotional and physical impact of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as its influence on his perspective on life.
All the things I thought were the ultimate agony seem preposterous now. It’s shaped me into what I am. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.
Lydon’s remarks come amidst ongoing tensions with his former bandmates, who have recently toured without him, performing Sex Pistols material with former Gallows vocalist Frank Carter as the lead singer.
Lydon has been openly critical of these touring arrangements, describing the performances as “karaoke” in previous interviews. He expressed concerns about the band’s artistic direction and conveyed feelings of frustration, fearing that the current tours might undermine the group’s legacy when speaking to British publication The i Paper.
When I first heard that the Sex Pistols were touring this year without me it pissed me off. It annoyed me. I just thought, ‘they’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all.’ I didn’t write those words lightly. They’re trying to trivialise the whole show to get away with karaoke but in the long term I think you’ll see who has the value and who doesn’t. I’ve never sold my soul to make a dollar. It’s the Catholic in me – that guilt I don’t want to trip.
The Sex Pistols were active from 1975 to 1978, releasing their only studio album, “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols”, in 1977. Although inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, the band declined to attend the ceremony, dismissing the institution as a “piss stain.”
