Punk legend John Lydon has spoken candidly about the devastating impact of losing his wife, revealing he feels like only half the person he was before her death. In a series of raw interviews, the former Sex Pistols frontman also expressed hurt that his old bandmates did not reach out to offer support following his bereavement.
A profound loss and a plea for support
John Lydon's wife, Nora Foster, passed away in April 2023 at the age of 80, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease that was diagnosed in 2018. The couple, who were married for more than five decades, lived in a remote Los Angeles home where Lydon became Nora's full-time carer in her later years.
Lydon described her final day as intensely painful, filled with what he called 'physical and emotional torment'. He became emotional recalling how her 'whole system was giving up' and that her suffering was marked by screaming – a memory that continues to haunt him.
In the aftermath, Lydon told The Times he had hoped for contact from his former Sex Pistols colleagues – guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook. He admitted he 'expected some kind of connection' following Nora's passing, but none was forthcoming, leaving him feeling estranged from the punk icons.
Navigating grief through music and performance
The 69-year-old singer, now on tour with his band Public Image Ltd (PiL), has been using performance as a form of healing. He confessed to Metro in February that he has emerged from a period of 'wallowing in alcohol and sadness and self-pity'.
'The truth of it is, I'm only half the person I was when she was alive,' Lydon shared. 'That's definite, I can feel that hollowness.'
As part of his grieving process, Lydon wrote and recorded 'Hawaii', an intimate song dedicated to Nora. He described it as a 'blessing' that she heard the track before her death. He entered it into the Irish Eurovision competition in 2023 but is not yet ready to perform it live on tour, fearing it would put him 'in such a sad hole'.
'It's not the right way to end a set, leaving people feeling down or wallowing in that intense pain and pressure,' he explained, noting the grief is still 'too fresh'.
Touring in his sixties and mellowed antics
Lydon's grief was compounded by the death of his best friend and long-term manager, John 'Rambo' Stevens, from an aortic heart dissection in December 2023, just seven months after Nora. Despite hesitancy about touring without Stevens, Lydon embarked on a 28-date UK and Ireland PiL tour, billed as 'This Is Not The Last Tour', which ran from May to August 2025.
Age and loss have mellowed the once-anarchic performer. He told Metro he now takes a more disciplined approach to touring, a stark contrast to his early days. 'I tried every kind of escapism, and I learned very quickly, it's punishing to be standing up there as a sad sack drunk,' he reflected.
His live shows are not without mishap, however. He laughingly admitted to being 'very prone to just falling off' stages, especially during afternoon festival slots where the sun obscures the edge.
When asked about the tour's name suggesting it isn't his final run, Lydon said he simply thought it was 'very witty'. He criticised a music industry 'riddled' with artists claiming to be on farewell tours while having 'already booked themselves for five years after'.
No reunion with the Sex Pistols on the cards
Lydon's feelings towards his former band seem to have been further hardened by their lack of contact after Nora's death. He gave unfiltered thoughts on the Sex Pistols' recent activities, which he labelled a 'karaoke' tour.
'No, I made that clear a long time ago,' he stated firmly when asked about a potential reunion. He described his former bandmates as 'impossibly heart-turgid and difficult to deal with' and said their current tour was in 'extremely poor taste'.
'If you don't want me around, that's all well and fine, get your stand-up comedian in my place, but leave my words out of it, because it's clear you don't understand them,' he concluded.
Following the PiL tour, Lydon immediately began a 50-date spoken word tour across the UK and Ireland, running from September to November 2025, demonstrating a relentless creative drive even amidst profound personal loss.
