John Lydon has claimed his Sex Pistols bandmates all failed to reach out after the death of his wife Nora Foster.
The Punk icon, 69, lost his beloved spouse of 44 years in April 2023 after a five year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
John, who was known as Johnny Rotten during his Sex Pistols days, said he did not hear from bandmates Steve Jones, Paul Cook or Glen Matlock.
Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘I expected some kind of connection when Nora died, but nothing.’
John has had an ongoing feud with the group since their split in 1978, as he has tried to stop its music being used in TV shows.
Steve, Paul and Glen have since been on tour together along with Frank Carter who has taken on former lead singer John’s vocals.
John Lydon has claimed his Sex Pistolsbandmates all failed to reach out after the death of his wife Nora Foster
John has had an ongoing feud with the group since their split in 1978, as he has tried to stop its music being used in TV shows (L-R Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, John and Paul Cook in 2002)
Elsewhere in the interview, John admitted he became suicidal after Nora’s passing.
He said: ‘You have to consider all the possibilities because that kind of pain is so overwhelming.’
The musician had drawn an incredible amount of public sympathy following her death, having selflessly cared for Nora full-time until her final hours.
Speaking previously to The Telegraph, he said: ‘The pain will never go away. She died painfully, suffocating. they call it the death rattle.’
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 said: ‘I expected some kind of connection when Nora died, but nothing’ (pictured with Nora in 2017)
The Sex Pistols shot to fame after forming in 1975, but just three years later they had split up
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.
John 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.
He is well known for stirring controversy with his comments and previously made headlines after claiming immigration had created ‘division’ across many part of Britain.
