Rocker Johnny Rotten’s wife dies after years-long battle with Alzheimer’s

Rock star John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten, leader of the well-known punk band the Sex Pistols, has lost his wife of over 40 years, Nora Forster, to Alzheimer’s disease. But though many have turned to assisted suicide (or outright murder) to end the lives their spouses with dementia and Alzheimer’s, Lydon quietly cared for Forster with love and devotion.

In a 2020 interview, Lydon said he remained his wife’s caretaker, and that she still lived with him in Los Angeles.

“I won’t let anyone mess up with her head,” Lydon said. “For me, the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day, and that is my life. It’s unfortunate that she forgets things; well, don’t we all? … I suppose her condition is one of like a permanent hangover for her. It gets worse and worse, bits of the brain store less and less memory, and then suddenly some bits completely vanish … It’s quite amazing as the alleged experts we have had to deal with at enormous expense have said that they have been very impressed that she never ever forgets me, we are constantly there with each other [in her mind] and that bit won’t go. Why pay for professionals to work on this when I think the message is a bit of love goes a long way.”

In a tweet, Lydon’ official Twitter account announced Forster’s passing at 80.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that Nora Forster – John Lydon’s wife of nearly 5 decades – has passed away. Nora had been living with Alzheimer’s for several years. In which time John had become her full time carer,” the tweet read. “Please respect John’s grief and allow him space. Rest in Peace Nora. Heart felt condolences to John from Rambo and all at PiL Official.”

Shortly before her death, Lydon spoke to MOJO about how, despite their tragic circumstances, the couple was still able to find joy and love together.

“It’s quite the experience we’re going through,” he said. “Anything can crop up at any time and you have to be attuned to it. We know that she’s going to slowly deteriorate into something catastrophic, and then death. But she will enjoy every step of it, and I’m here to make sure of that because she’d do the same for me. It’s not all tear-jerky and sad. A lot of it is very joyful. Nora has always been the greatest example of how to enjoy life, she’s very vivacious and very open and very tender, and those things are not going away.”

Though Lydon’s quiet devotion to his wife is admirable, the culture does not seem to value it. Instead, people with dementia and Alzheimer’s are frequently pressured into assisted suicide, while people who murder their spouses are romanticized by the media. Yet people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as Lydon so aptly explained, do not lose their value and dignity with their memories. They are still human beings who deserve what Lydon gave to Forster until she died: love, dignity, and kindness.

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