![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-671333004-e1767002781748.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn Lydon is still healing from the death of his wife Nora Forster (Picture: CJ Rivera\/FilmMagic)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tJohn Lydon is still healing from the death of his wife Nora Forster (Picture: CJ Rivera\/FilmMagic)<\/p>\n
After his wife Nora Forster\u2019s agonising death two years ago, John Lydon<\/a> has called out his former Sex Pistols<\/a> bandmates for not supporting him.<\/p>\n In a recent interview, he claimed that guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook did not reach out after her death.<\/p>\n Nora died at the age of 80<\/a> in April 2023\u00a0after\u00a0being diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s in 2018<\/a>. <\/p>\n While John is estranged from his punk legend bandmates<\/a>, he admitted to The Times<\/a> he had \u2018expected some kind of connection\u2019 but none came.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, ahead of his tour with Public Image Ltd, the 69-year-old singer spoke to Metro about the overwhelming loss.<\/p>\n \u2018The truth of it is, I\u2019m only half the person I was when she was alive,\u2019 he shared in February. \u2018That\u2019s definite, I can feel that hollowness.\u2019<\/p>\n The punk icon spent months \u2018coming to grips\u2019 with the loss and hoped his tour with his band Public Image Ltd (PiL) would help him to \u2018heal\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve come out of wallowing in alcohol <\/a>and sadness and self-pity,\u2019 he shared. \u2018Which you can\u2019t avoid, it just happens, it\u2019s just in your nature.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t He and Nora were married for over five decades, with John becoming her full-time carer in later years as they lived in a remote home in Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n The God Save The Queen hitmaker recalled how \u2018painful\u2019 her last day was with Nora in \u2018physical and emotional torment.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m quite ready to share how intense her agony was,\u2019 he said, a reserved response for the usually outspoken anarchic legend.<\/a><\/p>\n He hesitated, becoming emotional before sharing Nora\u2019s \u2018whole system was giving up\u2019 and her last day was filled with \u2018screaming\u2019, something that still haunts him.<\/p>\n Shortly after her death, John released Hawaii, an incredibly intimate song dedicated to his lost love.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\t Despite entering it into the Irish Eurovision competition<\/a> in 2023, he is not yet ready to perform the song on tour as it would put him \u2018in such a sad hole\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s not the right way to end a set, leaving people feeling down or wallowing in that intense pain and pressure,\u2019 he noted. \u2018So I don\u2019t know\u2026 but I might find a way of handling it.<\/p>\n \u2018There are many PiL songs that deal with such depth of personal tragedy, there are many, many times I delve into those emotions. But this one in particular, I think it\u2019s too fresh in my mind.\u2019<\/p>\n Thankfully, Nora did hear the song before her death, which he called a \u2018blessing\u2019.<\/p>\n \t\t His grief also encompassed the loss of his best friend John \u2018Rambo\u2019 Stevens to an aortic heart dissection, seven months after Nora.<\/p>\n He died aged 66 on December 11, 2023 and was John\u2019s long-term manager, producer for several PiL and Sex Pistols albums, and his friend since childhood.<\/p>\n John Lydon\u2019s thoughts on touring in his 60s<\/p>\n Despite his hesitancy about touring without Rambo by his side, John couldn\u2019t help but feel excited for the upcoming shows.<\/p>\n The 28-date UK and Ireland tour, billed as This Is Not The Last Tour, opened in Bristol<\/a> on May 22 and closed on August 16 in Belfast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Age and loss have mellowed out the punk legend (slightly), so now his tour antics take a more disciplined approach.<\/p>\n As he sipped a birthday beer, John told Metro: \u2018In the very early days, I was not [disciplined] at all. I think nerves played a huge part in that.<\/p>\n \u2018Being very shy \u2014\u00a0really \u2014\u00a0and just fearful of letting people down. I tried every kind of escapism, and I learned very quickly, it\u2019s punishing to be standing up there as a sad sack drunk.\u2019<\/p>\n He mentioned a gig from \u2018back in the very early days\u2019 which now he can only semi-remember and stated: \u2018I never want to go through that ever again.\u2019<\/p>\n Other stand-out moments from his decades of live performances include falling off stages <\/a>rather more regularly than he might have hoped.<\/p>\n Mid-afternoon festival slots are some of John\u2019s favourites, but this comes with the downside of the sun in your eyes, making the edge of the stage hard to see.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t \u2018I\u2019m very prone to just falling off,\u2019 he said as he burst into laughter. \u2018I tend to ignore [injuries] and carry on to the bitter end but it\u2019s the embarrassment of being such an ape. <\/p>\n \u2018Such a daft ape that you can fall off such an obvious thing.\u2019<\/p>\n John says fans shouldn\u2019t read too much into the tour\u2019s name, Not The Last Tour, and has no intention of wrapping up any time soon.<\/p>\n The Rise singer also embarked on a 50-date spoken word tour of the UK and Ireland almost immediately after the PiL tour from September 5 through to November 24.<\/p>\n Instead, he just thought it was \u2018very witty\u2019 and contrasted the \u2018lying hyena nonsense\u2019 of other artists, coyly naming no names.<\/p>\n The artist formerly known as Johnny Rotten says the music industry is \u2018riddled\u2019 with artists claiming to be on their final tour but have \u2018already booked themselves for five years after\u2019.<\/p>\n Will John Lydon ever reunite with the Sex Pistols?<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t At the time, John did give his unfiltered thoughts on the Sex Pistols\u2019 \u2018karaoke\u2019 tour<\/a>, potentially inflamed by their alleged lack of contact after Nora.<\/p>\n \u2018No, I made that clear a long time ago,\u2019 he replied when asked if a reunion tour was ever going to be on the cards.<\/p>\n \u2018Yeah, they\u2019re impossibly heart-turgid and difficult to deal with and just basically have very bad natures,\u2019 the Anarchy in the UK singer said, getting a little heated.<\/p>\n \u2018I think going out and doing this is in extremely poor taste. If you don\u2019t want me around, that\u2019s all well and fine, get your stand-up comedian in my place, but leave my words out of it, because it\u2019s clear you don\u2019t understand them.\u2019<\/p>\n A version of this article was originally published on February 22, 2025.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724892-e684.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe wasn\u2019t sure he would ever tour again (Picture: PiL)<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-84900380-e1767003860179.jpg\")
\n\t\tNora had been by his side for 50 years (Picture: Fin Costello\/Redferns)<\/p>\n![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724877-c5ab-e1740094622898.jpg\")
\n\t\t\u2018I\u2019ve come out of wallowing in alcohol and sadness and self-pity\u2026\u2019 (Picture: Mike Forster\/ANL\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Premium](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724847-668e-e1740094669905.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn became Nora\u2019s carer in her later years due to her Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis (Picture: Richard Young\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-605377902.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn with his long-term manager and friend John \u2018Rambo\u2019 Stevens (Picture: Billy Farrell\/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Picture](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724978-8b74.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn went back out on the road earlier this year (Picture: Duncan Bryceland)<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724893-dd1a.jpg\")
\n\t\tThis year\u2019s tour was \u2018not the last\u2019 for PiL (Picture: PiL)<\/p>\n![\"Editorial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724854-eb0a.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe told Metro how he has mellowed in his older years (Picture: Stuart Westwood\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Sid](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-515114280.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe current Sex Pistols line up are doing \u2018karaoke\u2019 apparently (Picture: Bettmann Archive)<\/p>\n![\"Editorial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_240724833-dd68.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn has been at odds with the Sex Pistols for years (Picture: Stuart Westwood\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
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