Born John Simon Ritchie on the 10th May 1957 in Lewisham, London, England, he was best known to the world as punk legend Sid Vicious, and will be remembered as bassist and vocalist of the famous punk rock band Sex Pistols. His career started in the mid- 70s, and ended with his premature death in 1979.
Have you ever wondered how rich Sid Vicious was at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Vicious’ net worth is as high as $400,000, an amount earned through his career as a musician.
Sid Vicious Net Worth $400,000
Sid was the son of John and Anne Ritchie. His father was a guardsman at Buckingham Palace, and also played trombone but without major success. Soon after Sid was born, he and his mother moved to Ibiza, with his father soon joining them, however, he neglected his family and Anne then married Christopher Beverley. Unfortunately, Christopher was struck by cancer and soon died, in 1965, and as a result Sid and his mother had to rent a smaller apartment. Sid went to Sandown Court School, and then in 1971 he and his mother moved to Hackney, in east London, and after high school, Sid enrolled at Hackney Technical College, where he met John Lydon, with whom he would later play in the Sex Pistols. The two became quite close friends, and John even gave him the nickname Sid Vicious, after Sid was bitten by John’s pet hamster, which was named Sid.
Sid was slowly introduced to the music scene of London, firstly as a tambourine player on the streets with Lydon, playing Alice Cooper covers for money. Then in 1976 he joined Flowers of Romance, a punk band, on saxophone and as a singer, with Keith Levene among other members, and played drums for Siouxsie and the Banshees. Furthermore, he was considered as the new singer for the band Damned, however, he didn’t show at audition, and Dave Vanian was selected as the singer. He angry confronted Dave, stating that he hid information about the upcoming audition from him, and even confronted Dave at one of the Damned’s live shows, throwing glass at Dave, but he missed and instead, hit the pillar which caused glass to break and deflect, hitting a girl in the crowd, blinding her in one eye. As a result, Sid was arrested the next day and spent some time at Ashford Remand Centre, a prison for male juveniles.
In 1977 Sid joined punk rock band the Sex Pistols, following the leaving of Glen Matlock. However, he didn’t contribute much to the band, due to his drug abuse and consequent hospitalization. Nevertheless, he is credited as a bass player on their debut album “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” in 1977. While a part of the Sex Pistols, he met Nancy Spungen, and the two became a couple; their relationship lasted until her death in 1978, when she was allegedly stabbed in abdomen by Sid, apparently, as he was charged for her murder. He then attempted to kill himself several times, but was stopped every time. He continued with drug overdose, but managed to recover and was clean several months prior to his death.
Unfortunately, on the 1st February 1979, Sid gathered with friends, including Jerry Only, bassist of the Misfits, and Howie Pyro, also a bassist, to celebrate his release from prison. The night was fatal for Sid, as he was found dead by his mother the next morning, who had allegedly supplied him with drugs over the years.
Following his death, Sid became a legend immediately; although his contribution to music wasn’t on a high level, he was glorified by some for his attitude on the stage and life on the whole.
There are several posthumous releases of Sid’s recordings, including “Sid Sings” (1979), “Better” (2001), “Sid Lives” (2007), and “Chaos and Disorder Tapes”, released in 2008.
Last couple of years of his life and relationship with Nancy Spungen were portrayed in the biopic “Sid and Nancy” in 1986, starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb playing the titular characters..
