Site of Sid Vicious's Death

Born John Simon Ritchie, Sid Vicious, bassist for the UK punk band the Sex Pistols, is likely far more famous in death than in life. His career was short--he died at 21--and his talent was questionable, with his bandmates famously unplugging his amp during performances. It was arguably his snarling, anti-establishment persona--the perfect embodiment of the British punk scene--that put him on the map. But it was the controversies that kept him there, even decades after his death.

Vicious had a difficult, working-class upbringing in England, with an absent father and heroin-addicted mother. While a teenager, he became friends with John Lydon (later to be known as Johnny Rotten), a relationship that would lead to Vicious's joining the Sex Pistols. Lydon would later say that he regretted bringing his friend into the band because it led to his eventual drug addiction and death.

Vicious, reportedly a shy, slightly goofy kid, quickly began to morph into the prototypical angry punk rocker. By most accounts, his downward spiral began in earnest after meeting Nancy Spungen, who became his girlfriend. The two had a heroin-fueled, extremely volatile relationship. In October of 1978, Spungen was found dead of a stab wound to the abdomen in the room she shared with Vicious at the Chelsea Hotel. Vicious, who as asleep and had no memory of the incident, was charged with her murder. Following his arrest, Vicious attempted suicide by cutting his wrists.

Two months later, Vicious was again arrested for assaulting Todd Smith, the brother of Patti Smith. He was taken to Rikers Island, and when he made bail, a party was planned to celebrate his release. His mother, Anne Beverley, a long-time heroin addict and dealer who often shot up with her son, attended the party and brought her son heroin, although he had reportedly detoxed during his time in jail and been clean for more than a month. According to an account by the BBC, Vicious immediately began seizing and showing signs of overdose, but revived after almost an hour and went to bed with his girlfriend. The guitarist was found dead the next morning.

Years after his death, there are questions that remain. Many people believe that it was simply an accidental overdose, albeit one abetted by Sid's own mother. Others, including Anne Beverley, maintained that Sid and Nancy had a suicide pact, and that Vicious's death was actually the final act of this pact. Beverley herself would later claim that she administered a fatal dose of heroin to her son because he was terrified that he would go to prison for Spungen's death. Beverley herself would later die of a suspected drug overdose.

Rosenblum, Constance . Six Short Blocks with a Lot to Say , New York Times . May 30th 2014. Accessed December 26th 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/realestate/the-celebrities-of-bank-street.html

A Vicious Anniversary , Village Preservation . February 2nd 2012. Accessed December 26th 2020. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2012/02/02/a-vicious-anniversary/.

Segell, Michael . Sid Vicious Dead at 21 , Rolling Stone . March 8th 1979. Accessed December 26th 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sid-vicious-dead-at-21-234850/.