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Quick Facts
- NAME: Sid Vicious
- OCCUPATION: Bassist, Singer
- BIRTH DATE: May 10, 1957
- DEATH DATE: February 02, 1979
- PLACE OF BIRTH: London, United Kingdom
- PLACE OF DEATH: New York, New York
- Originally: John Simon Ritchie
Best Known For
Punk rocker Sid Vicious became famous as bassist for the Sex Pistols before his entanglement with drugs and Nancy Spungen ended his career and life.
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Play NowSid Vicious. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:08, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010.
Sid Vicious. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Sid Vicious." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 03:08 http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010.
"Sid Vicious," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Sid Vicious," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Sid Vicious [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010.
Sid Vicious, http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Sid Vicious. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/sid-vicious-246010. Accessed May 21, 2013.
It has been reported that Rotten encouraged Vicious to break off his relationship to Spungen.
After the break-up of the Sex Pistols, Vicious and Spungen spent time in London before moving to New York City. They stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, home to many artists, writers, and musicians over the years. Spungen took over as Vicious's manager and got him a few gigs, but his performances were lackluster as he was strung out on drugs at the time. The two tried to get clean briefly,
Contents
but they soon spent most of their time feeding their drug habit, which included heroin, barbiturates, and a synthetic form of morphine.
Tragic End
Sometime during the early hours of October 12, 1979, the couple's downward spiral reached a tragic end. Spungen was found dead on the bathroom floor in their room at the Chelsea Hotel. She had been stabbed with a knife she had given Vicious as a present. Vicious was later found in the hallway in a complete drug-induced fog. He alternated between saying that he couldn't remember what happened and confessing that he killed her. Vicious was charged with second-degree murder.
A few days later, Vicious was released on bail, using money put up by his record company. Despondent over Spungen's death, he tried to commit suicide after leaving jail. After a fight in a New York City club, Vicious was locked up again. He spent seven weeks in the prison on Riker's Island. On February 1, Vicious was released. He celebrated his newfound freedom with a party at the home of actress Michelle Robinson. Sometime that evening, Vicious returned to using heroin. The next morning he was found dead of a drug overdose.
His sudden death only fueled his legacy as a punk rock icon. His twisted love affair with Spungen was the inspiration for the 1986 film Sid and Nancy, starring actor Gary Oldman as Vicious.
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