John Lydon says he'll never forgive Sex Pistols mates

John Lydon, the former frontman of the Sex Pistols, has declared he will never forgive his former bandmates, citing a bitter legal dispute over the use of the band's music that occurred while he was caring for his terminally ill wife. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lydon stated that the rift is permanent and any reunion is impossible.

The conflict stems from a 2021 lawsuit in which Lydon attempted to block the use of Sex Pistols songs in the Danny Boyle-directed television series "Pistol." A court ruled against him, upholding a 1988 band contract that allowed music licensing by majority vote. The series was subsequently released by Disney in 2022. Lydon has framed the legal battle as a personal betrayal, emphasizing that it unfolded while his wife, Nora Foster, was suffering from Alzheimer's disease before her death in 2023.

"I'll never forgive them for the way that they piled that court case on me while my wife was dying of Alzheimer's," Lydon told the magazine. "It was a most unfortunate act on their part, and then using Disney to stripmine me." He claimed the financial burden of the case, suggesting he needed to raise millions to continue, diverted resources from his...