Name: John Simon Richie
AKA: Sid Vicious, John Richie, John Simon Beverly, John Beverly, "a walking circus" (John Lydon), "fashion victim" (John Lydon)
Birthdate: May 10th, 1957
Deathdate: February 2nd, 1979
Band Affiliations: The Flowers of Romance (bassist), Siouxsie and the Banshees (drummer), The Sex Pistols (bassist), The Vicious White Kids (lead vocalist)
Known for: Inventing 'pogoing' (which systematically means Sid invented 'moshing'), being obsessed with fashion, loving glam rock, spitting blood, knowing three chords on a bass, carving words into his chest, and being arrested... on several occasions.
Bio: In 1957, Anne Randall, by all accounts a hippie, gave birth to her only child, John Simon. The baby was named John like his father, John Richie, a grenadier guard. After Richie's departure from their family unit, Anne took her three year old son to Spain, where she struggled to get by when promised money from Richie never arrived. When Sid (as he would later be called) was five, Anne returned to England where she faked a heroin addiction so she and her son could be eligibly for cheap government housing. Unfortunately, Anne, while selling drugs to support herself and her son, became actually addicted to a variety of substances.

Sid grew up in various areas of London, going to several schools. He was an easy target for bullies because he was often alone and would go into nervous ticks. Though some say Sid seemed a little slow, others would recount that the boy had a quick wit and was eager to learn. He sat for his O levels, receiving two (one in English language and one in English literature). While in school in Oxford, Anne remarried. Chris Beverly became the only true father Sid would ever know. Unfortunately, Chris died before his adoption of his stepson could take place. Sid would later adopt his stepfather's surname as his own anyway.

While taking photography classes at Hackney College, Sid met John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten). The two gained a bond, often sharing flats and lodgings together after being kicked out by their parents. The rest, they say, is history. In 1976, John was approached by Malcolm McLauren to join his rock group "The Sex Pistols". John was rechristened "Johnny Rotten" (some say it's because he used the word 'rotten' constantly, some say it's because of his "rotten" teeth). A year later, tensions became too great between John and the band's bassist, Glen Matlock. Matlock was kicked out of the band ("He was always washing his feet." - John Lydon), and Sid was brought in as a replacement. This was a dream gig for Sid, who had already been in a few bands. Sid was dubbed 'Sid Vicious' after a cute, fuzzy hamster that John had owned (because Sid himself was thought to be rather harmless and weak). Unfortunately, Sid couldn't play the bass, but that didn't stop him! Legend has it that Sid learned all he knew about the bass in one night, and most people don't dispute the fact. Drugs and alcohol followed. Then along came Nancy.

Sid met Nancy Spungen through John (who was desperate to get her away from himself). The two had an instant connection and fell in love. With Nancy, Sid began to experiment more with heroin, a drug he had done before in small doses. Sid's already mediocre playing got drastically worse as he couldn't hit the strings while high. He was constantly falling over onstage and hurting himself. The other members of the band (John, Paul Cook, and Steve Jones) tried desperately to seperate Sid from Nancy, believing that to be a solution to their friend's drug problem. But not even an ocean could seperate the lovers. While on tour in America, all Sid could think about was Nancy... and getting drugs. John tried to keep Sid away from pushers and dealers, but somehow his plans were always thwarted (usually by McLauren, their manager). By the time the group reached San Fransisco, they had all reached their breaking points. The Sex Pistols disbanded after their Winterland gig. "Do you ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" John asked the crowd after the less-than-stellar performance on January 14th, 1978. After the breakup, Sid headed back to London and reunited with Nancy. The two went to Paris while Sid and the other Pistols film the rockumentary flop "The Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle" (also known as "Who Killed Bambi?").

Later, Sid and Nancy went to live in NYC, New York, living out of the infamous Chelsea Hotel. The two were spinning out of control. Sid performed a few gigs at "Max's", but his strung-out performances were poorly accepted. After several failed attempts to try methodone to get off heroin, Nancy grew tired of her life, often saying she wished she were dead. Some say that Sid and Nancy had a death pact. It might have been true.

On October 11th, 1978, the body of Nancy Laura Spungen was found lying on the bathroom floor in Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel. She had been stabbed in the side. Sid was arrested and charged. No one will ever know what really happened.

While out on bail, Sid was accosted by Patti Smith's brother Todd at Hurrah's Disco. Sid cut Todd's face with a piece of a beer bottle and was sent back to Riker's Island Prison. While in prison, Sid was able to sober up and detox. Unfortunately, when released on bail once more, the first thing he did was shoot up some heroin. He and his mother stayed at the apartment of his new girlfriend, Michelle Robinson, an actress. On February 2nd, 1979, Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in Michelle's bed in her Greenwich Village apartment after a party celebrating his release from prison. No one is for certain if this was a suicide or not, though a note was found in his pocket stipulating what he was to be buried in.

Sid was later cremated, and his ashes were spread over Nancy's grave.

Too fast to live. Too young to die.