John Lydon says he sleeps next to the ashes of his late wife Nora Forster, three months ago at the age of 80 after a two-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The punk legend, 67, became his wife’s full-time carer after she was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2021.
And he admitted dealing with the loss of his wife was “a lot harder than he thought it was” after spending nearly five decades together.
He was candid about the loss to the Times: “I thought I could deal with this side, but it’s actually worse.” I like to sleep with Nora’s ashes in the closet by the bed because I can’t count on them meet again in this life. And if there is an afterlife…’
He added, “Some of these rules that I didn’t follow could prove to be a problem.’ That doesn’t bode well!’
Heartbroken: Sex Pistols’ John Lydon has revealed he sleeps next to the ashes of his late wife Nora Forster, which he placed in a cupboard next to his bed after she passed away three months ago at the age of 80
Amazing: The punk legend, 67, became his wife’s full-time carer after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago (pictured in 1986)
The couple wed in 1979 and recently admitted that life without the former model would be “unbearable”.
Born Nora Maier, she was a German publishing heiress with a passion for music who later became a promoter.
She had a daughter, Ariane, from her previous marriage to German singer Frank Forster. The late singer, better known as Ari Up, became a teen frontwoman for The Slits and a punk icon in her own right.
Nora moved to west London with Ari in the 1960s and hosted bands and rock stars such as The Clash, Yes and Jimi Hendrix at her home in Shepherd’s Bush.
In 1975, Nora Lydon, who was 14 years her junior, met Sex in King’s Road at Vivienne Westwood’s famous clothing store.
At first, the two were warned about each other by friends, but Lydon said they had an immediate and explosive bond that would last a lifetime.
“It’s love, you know. I have always loved this woman. And she knows it. When we met, we didn’t expect that we would get along. We were both told the other was a villain. But stupid. sparks flew. “It was an instant attraction,” he told the Guardian last year.
“And that never goes away.” I never thought I would feel this way. I never thought I was attractive in any way. Or someone has an idea for a good date.’
The former Sex Pistol has remained faithful to his wife despite his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, telling Yahoo that as the star of one of the biggest bands on the planet, he was “faced with sex from left to right and in the middle.”
So sad: John admitted dealing with the loss of his wife was ‘a lot harder than he thought’ after spending almost five decades together (pictured in 2011)
He told the Times, “I thought I could handle this side, but it’s actually worse.” I like to sleep with Nora’s ashes in the closet by the bed because there’s no expectation of closing them again in this lifetime meet.” (Picture 2017)
“No, that wasn’t for me…I don’t like that frivolity.” “I grew up with childhood diseases, and somehow I felt like there was something wrong with me,” Lydon said, referring to the ordeal he’s had suffered from spinal meningitis when he was just seven years old.
Lydon spent a year in the hospital and suffered severe side effects, including memory loss, for four years after the illness. This experience helped him understand his wife’s recent illness and needs.
“I know this fear of isolation. “I know what it’s like to be completely scared and not knowing where you are.”
The years since Nora’s diagnosis in 2018 have become more bearable, he said, as the two continued to dance together, watch TV and reflect on vacation memories.
He also added that despite her worsening illness and memory loss, his beloved wife has not walked away.
“For me, the real person is still there.” “That person that I love is still there every minute of every day, and that’s my life,” he said.
In her final years, Lydon added that Alzheimer’s experts were amazed at how much Nora continued to remember him, saying, “A little love goes a long way.”
He and his wife’s mutual devotion was evident — and after decades of marriage together, he said there would be “no one else” for one of them if the other died.