John Lydon, the former Sex Pistols leader, has announced the death of his wife of nearly 50 years, Nora Forster, at the age of 80, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Lydon, who was Nora’s full-time caregiver during her illness, conveyed his genuine sorrow in a poignant message and asked for privacy during this trying time.
Nora Forster was a German publishing heiress with a passion for music who went on to work as a promoter. She was previously married to German singer Frank Forster, with whom she had a daughter named Ariane, who went on to become a punk icon in her own right as the frontwoman of The Slits.
In the 1960s, Nora and Ariane moved to west London and welcomed iconic bands and rockstars such as The Clash, Yes, and Jimi Hendrix at their Shepherd’s Bush house.
Nora met John Lydon, then known as Johnny Rotten, in 1975 when they both went to Vivienne Westwood’s King’s Road apparel store, Sex. Despite being warned off each other by friends, they hit it off right away and married four years later in 1979.
Lydon became Nora’s principal caregiver after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and they lived together in southern California for five years. Lydon is devastated by Nora’s death and has requested seclusion as he mourns.
How did Nora Forster and John Lydon meet?
According to Lydon, he first encountered Forster in 1975 in the clothing store that the late artist Malcolm McLaren co-owned with Vivienne Westwood in London. Lydon revealed that they had been together for 45 years on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in January.