John Lydon has claimed his former Sex Pistols bandmates did not reach out to him after his wife Nora Forster died in April 2023. The 67-year-old musician, known as Johnny Rotten, said he expected some form of message from guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook, but received nothing.
Speaking to The Times, Lydon said: “I expected some kind of connection when Nora died, but nothing.” Forster, who had Alzheimer's disease, died aged 80. Lydon had been her full-time carer for two years following her diagnosis. The couple married in 1979.
Lydon described the loss as “much harder than he thought”. He said: “I thought I would be able to handle this side of it, but it is, if anything, worse. I like to sleep with Nora’s ashes in the cupboard next to the bed because there is no expectancy of meeting her in this life again.”
Reflecting on their relationship, Lydon said they argued frequently but valued honesty. “Nora and I argued a great deal, but the arguments were so stunning that they made life worthwhile, and we were always honest and open about everything,” he said.
Lydon also criticised the 2022 biopic Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle, which he said he was not consulted on. He described the director's approach as “an act of spite” and said the series “might as well have been about the Partridge Family”. Lydon left the Sex Pistols in 1979 and later formed Public Image Ltd.
