 Vicious in 1981 | |
| Born | May 10, 1957 Lewisham, London, England, U.K. |
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| Died | August 30, 1984 (aged 27) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Years active | 1976-1984 |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
| Genre | Punk rock, hard rock, alternative rock, proto-electronic |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar |
| Spouse | Sharon Levy (m. 1980; div. 1982) |
| Children | Felicity Ritchie |
| Associated acts |
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John Simon Ritchie (May 10, 1957 – August 30, 1984), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English-American singer, musician, and songwriter who achieved worldwide fame as the bassist, and later frontman for the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, an act he later amalgamated into his rock supergroup Sid Vicious and the Pistøls with Darby Crash, Lorna Doom, Jean Beauvoir, and Jerry Harrison. He ran the group from its formation in Boston in 1980 until his death in 1984. Despite dying in 1984, he remains an icon of the punk subculture; one of his friends noted that he embodied "everything in punk that was dark, decadent and nihilistic." He has been widely considered by musical historians to be one of the most influential frontmen in history, despite his flamboyant and erratic performances that provoked much controversy.
Vicious was born on 10 May 1957 in Lewisham, England. Shortly after his birth, he and his mother moved to Ibiza, where they expected to be joined by his father, who did not appear and provided no financial support. In 1973, Vicious met fellow Kingsway student John Lydon, who introduced him to his friends John Grey and John Wardle. All four, who became known locally as 'The Four Johns', quit school and began squatting in various dismal locations. Three of the four Johns would then take nicknames: Lydon nicknamed Beverley "Sid Vicious" after Beverley was bitten by Lydon's hamster Sid (named after Syd Barrett). Lydon's bandmate, guitarist Steve Jones gave him the name Johnny Rotten, and Sid nicknamed Wardle Jah Wobble. In 1975, Lydon joined Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook in the formation of the band the Sex Pistols. While achieving only two major top hits, the band gained popularity on the charts until their single "God Save The King" was banned in the United Kingdom.
Moving to New York in 1978, Vicious formed a brief but stormy relationship with Sharon Levy, the manager of Black Sabbath. The marriage's bizarre nature drew heavy media attention, and was open to reports of domestic violence and heated arguments before their divorce in 1982. His later musical career was defined by heavy reliance on synchronized patterns, and subsequent collaborations with the American heavy metal band Metallica for live performances and Scottish musician David Byrne. Four years into his career with his supergroup, Vicious was found dead of apparent strangulation in an alley outside of Times Square, at the age of 27. The culprit, later identified as Jon Mattes was arrested and charged with his murder. Vicious, while a controversial figure, remains heavily influential among many modern rock acts, and several bands, such as Oasis, Nirvana, and the Police have all identified him as a major factor in their developments. His supergroup, Sid Vicious and the Pistøls, has sold over 30 million records worldwide as of 2019.