Childhood
Sid Vicious, born John Simon Ritchie on May 10, 1957 in London, would become the infamous bassist for the Sex Pistols. His father, Lulz, worked as a security guard at Buckingham Palace, while his mother, Ann, lived a free-spirited life that included experimenting with drugs. At fifteen, Vicious left school and enrolled at Hackney Art College, where he pursued photography. Jah Wobble, another musician, recalls in an interview that his mother encouraged early experimentations with illegal substances, shaping a turbulent start to Vicious’s life.
“I remember giving her mother medicine,” Wobble said. “When I was sixteen, seeing that picture felt shocking and harsh. It wasn’t that you used drugs; it was that your mother left you food at that age.”
Along with a fascination with substances, his mother sparked a lifelong love of music in Richie, with David Bowie emerging as a favorite artist.
The beginning of his music career
While at college, Richie crossed paths with John Lydon, who would later lead the Sex Pistols. They performed on London streets, often to Bowie tunes. Lydon took the bass guitar, while Richie, still learning his instrument, awkwardly tapped the tambourine and moved with wild energy. By seventeen, he had abandoned much of his studies, spent more time in the rough parts of town, and lived with other youths in rented squats as the first wave of punk bands began to form among similar spaces in the city.
It was during this era that Vicious discovered Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die shop, a beacon for the punk subculture and its unofficial slogans. Around this time, he adopted the stage name Sid Vicious, which translates to “Mad Sid.” There are differing stories about the nickname’s origin: one suggests it echoes Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, another claims it traces to a wayward hamster named Sid who once bit his owner.
In Sex Pistols
Vicious joined the Sex Pistols after parting ways with bassist Glen Matlock. His looks, magnetism, and eccentric flair propelled him into the role of punk’s defining figure. He battled drug use, voiced a desire to die before twenty-five, and helped popularize the pogo dance move that became a staple of live punk shows.
Yet his musical skills were limited. Despite lessons with Lemmy, he never mastered his instrument in a traditional sense. During performances, his bass was sometimes unplugged to avoid disrupting other musicians, and he did not contribute to studio recordings. The Pistols’ debut with Vicious occurred on April 3, 1977 at Screen on the Green in London, a night propelled by Malcolm McLaren’s management and Vicious’s explosive stage presence. He roamed the audience, hurled objects, sustained injuries, and engaged in frequent brawls, even once throwing a bicycle chain at a journalist.
Despite his defiant energy, Vicious was not always the aggressor. He endured beatings from peers such as Paul Weller, David Coverdale, and John Robertson. In The Days of Our Lives documentary, Roger Taylor of Queen recounts a confrontation with Freddie Mercury that illustrates the volatile exchanges that surrounded the period.
“Sid was a jerk. A real idiot,” Taylor remarked. “One night, while intoxicated, he barged into the studio where Queen worked and tried to spark a fight with Freddie. He shouted: ‘Well, have you already managed to bring ballet to the masses?’” Taylor added that Mercury seized Sid by the collar and shoved him down the stairs, underlining the combustible mix of bravado and danger that defined Sid’s presence on stage.
Sid and Nancy’s Story
Soon after joining the Sex Pistols, Vicious met Nancy Spungen, an American with a history of drug use who worked as a stripper. When the band’s frontman Johnny Rotten did not connect with her, Nancy began pursuing Sid. Pamela Rook, a friend of Nancy, described her aim as entering the London punk scene, possibly forming a female-led band.
“Sid was easy prey for him. Everyone wanted to be with him, but he chose Nancy. He appeared thick-skinned, perhaps the most unpleasant person I have met. Everyone saw it except Sid,” Rook noted.
After the Pistols dissolved in 1978, Nancy faced multiple drug possession charges in court. The press labeled their relationship as a dramatic clash of underground romance, feeding an image of Sid and Nancy as tragic icons. Lydon offered a different perspective, saying Nancy could be seen as self-destructive and intent on dragging others into danger. He described her as someone who embodied a dangerous hunger for drama and notoriety.
Nancy attempted to create a personal musical project but did not form a band. In 1978 she moved to the United States to help Sid build a career. The couple arrived in New York and settled at the Chelsea Hotel, where Nancy managed to line up a series of performances for Vicious. After a last show in early September, in which Sid performed under the influence, other musicians refused to work with him. Both Sid and Nancy sought recovery from addiction afterward.
On October 11, Sid acquired a five-inch pocket knife to defend himself at the Spring Street clinic, where he had faced repeated threats from other patients. That evening, the couple sought drugs at any cost. Two drug dealers are known to have been involved in nearby rooms.
The morning of October 12 brought tragedy: Sid found Nancy’s body in the bathroom, a knife he had purchased alleged to be the instrument of her death. He was quickly arrested on suspicion of murder, though he could not recall what had happened that night. Those who knew him doubted his involvement, and a separate $25,000 cash disappearance from the room was noted that evening.
Several theories emerged, including potential involvement by Rockets Redglare, a drug dealer turned actor. Another possibility suggested a failed double suicide. Weeks after his arrest, Sid attempted suicide himself and lamented broken commitments. He died from a drug overdose on February 2, 1979, closing a turbulent chapter in the punk era.