Simon John Ritchie [ a ] 10 May β 2 February , better known by his stage name Sid Vicious , was an English musician, best known as the second bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in at the age of 21, he remains an icon of the punk subculture; one of his friends noted that he embodied "everything in punk that was dark, decadent and nihilistic.
Shortly after Ritchie's birth, he and his mother moved to Ibiza , where they expected to be joined by his father, who did not appear and provided no financial supportβAnne reportedly sold marijuana to get by. At this time, Ritchie began using the name 'John Beverley'.
By , Anne's life was consumed by her addiction to heroin , to the point where, as Ritchie's friend John Wardle claimed in a interview, Anne was unaware that her son was attending Kingsway College of Further Education later known as Westminster Kingsway College.
It served as a community and vocational school for students with difficulties. While at Kingsway, which he was likely attending to complete his O levels , Ritchie indicated to a counsellor that he was contemplating suicide. Wardle, who had accompanied Ritchie, at the time made light of the statement, feeling unequipped to deal with it. When Ritchie turned 16 that year, Anne kicked him out of her home. In a interview, Anne recalled: "I remember saying to him: 'It's either you or me, and it's not going to be me.
I have got to try to preserve myself and you just fuck off. All four, who became known locally as 'The Four Johns', quit school and began squatting in various dingey locations.
