21-05-2025
Sex Pistols star John Lydon reveals his heartache over his beloved wife Nora's 'painful' death following five year battle with Alzheimer's disease
Sex Pistols front man John Lydon has opened up on the loss of his wife, who he says suffered 'physical and mental torment' on the day she died.
The Punk icon, 69, lost his beloved spouse of 44 years Nora Foster in April 2023 after a five year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
John, who was known as Johnny Rotten during his Sex Pistols days, had drawn an incredible amount of public sympathy following her death having selflessly cared for Nora full-time until her final hours.
Now over two years after she passed, the extravagant singer has opened up on the 'agony' he felt as Nora suffered a painful death.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 69-year-old said: 'The pain will never go away. She died painfully, suffocating. they call it the death rattle.'
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Recalling the moment doctors asked him whether they should prolong Nora's life, he added: 'I couldn't say "yes, stop". No, I fought for her life as hard as she fought for it.
'It's insane, and you don't know how to handle it (the death of a partner). And you can end up being really aggressive with people mollycoddling you. But you have to be full of rage to break out of it, or you'll end up as that sympathetic doddering old idiot that you know you would hate yourself.'
The singer had previously admitted he 'always loved' Nora having met her in 1975 at a Vivienne Westwood clothes shop - 'there was an instant attracton,' he said.
Following her death, John had 'wallowed in alcohol and sadness and self-pity,' he told Metro, but the singer has since come out of that struggle.
He insists however that the agony of losing Nora will never go away.
Two years after her death, John will be hitting the road on tour again next week on his Not The Last Tour with his post-Sex Pistols band PiL (Public Image Ltd).
Despite his grief, the artist insists that the upcoming 28-date tour isn't a farewell but more a tongue-in-cheek dig at bands who falsely claim they're bowing out.
'The industry is riddled with artists claiming they're on their final tour but have already booked themselves for five years after,' he quipped.
Johnny Rotten, as he was then known, shot to fame during the 1970s as the Sex Pistols' lead vocalist
But while John is kicking off his tour, his old band - consisting of Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock - are enjoying their own with new front man Frank Carter.
John previously blasted the Sex Pistols recent tour as 'karaoke', branding the group 'impossible to deal with'.
The singer revealed he is indeed no longer on speaking terms with his old band mates after they fell out over a Disney+ TV series he opposed.
The dispute resulted in a High Court battle between John and the Sex Pistols over the use of the band's music in the series - which Rotten ultimately lost.
John said he 'won't forget' that his old band mates 'dragged him through the courts' while Nora was seriously ill.
The Sex Pistols shot to fame after forming in 1975, but just three years later they had split up.
Their only album together, Never Mind the B******s* - a UK number one - is now a staple of punk rock.
The band - whose controversial legacy rests upon their anti-establishment values - famously called the Royal family 'fascists' in 1977's God Save The Queen.
But in 1978, John formed Public Image Ltd, with the first line-up of the band including bassist Jah Wobble and former Clash guitarist Keith Levene.
The group's line up has changed a number of times over the last 40-plus-years with Lydon remaining a constant member.
Lydon appeared on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2004 and sensationally walked out after just ten days, though not before releasing a torrent of abuse at viewers watching at home.
