But Vicious was later to retract his confession, claiming he could not recall anything about the night Nancy had died. It was Vicious himself who phoned police to say he had found her dead body, and an hour later, in a holding cell at the Third Homicide Division, Vicious famously confessed: 'I did it because I'm a dirty dog.' Some theories say she could have been killed by a visitor in a squabble over drugs or money. Witnesses who were at a party in their room the evening before say Vicious was out for the count, thanks to a heavy dose of barbiturates.
On October 12, 1978, Nancy was found dead in the bathroom of Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel, a trail of blood leading to the bed she shared with Vicious, who had bought a hunting knife a few days earlier. They moved into the Chelsea Hotel, which had once been a Mecca for writers and artists - Dylan Thomas, Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan had all once lived there - but by the late 1970s, was little more than a sprawling drugs den populated by users. The band collapsed at the end of the tour and Sid returned to London with Nancy to attempt a solo career.īy the end of August 1978, they returned to New York to start a new life, but overdoses were taking their toll and they were still dependent on drugs. She joined the Sex Pistols on their US tour the following year. The couple moved in together in London and Nancy reportedly introduced her boyfriend to heroin. Sid Vicious, born John Ritchie, was a fixture of the King's Road punk scene who had been brought in earlier that year to replace original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. Other contemporaries she came to the UK to chase after Heartbreakers Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, who had left New York. Later, she moved to England 'specifically to get a Sex Pistol for a boyfriend', recalled a friend. Nancy reportedly bought drugs to meet musicians and became a heroin addict, funding her habit at one time by working as a prostitute. fame - often stripping down to his underpants to reveal a skinny torso scarred by self-inflicted knife wounds.Īs well as his punk rocker persona - he will be forever remembered for his turbulent romance with girlfriend Nancy Spungen. He could not play a note but he was as foul-mouthed and audacious as singer Johnny Rotten - John Lydon, now of I'm A Celebrity.