Nancy Spungen

Nancy Spungen (February 27, 1958 - October 12, 1978) was the controversial girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.

Nancy was born to a middle class Jewish family in Pennsylvania. However she had trouble in her teens, being highly hyperactive. At eleven she was already being administered intense psychotherapy. She tried killing herself numerous times and was severely depressed.

Nancy left from home at age 19 and became a groupie, following such bands as Aerosmith, The New York Dolls, and The Ramones. She moved to London with the express purpose of winning over one of the The New York Dolls, but found The Sex Pistols instead. She met bassist Sid Vicious at a friend's apartment. They quickly moved in together.

During a rocky 21-month relationship Spungen and Vicious abused heroin and other drugs. Spungen's unpleasant personality and Vicious's emotional dependence on her hurt the Sex Pistols' performance and contributed to the band splitting up during the US tour. Spungen and Vicious moved to the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York City where Vicious tried, with little success, to revive his musical career.

With increased drug abuse and reports of domestic violence, the pair seemed destined for a tragic end. That end came on October 12, when Spungen was found in a black bra and panties, having bled to death from a stomach wound that was traced to Vicious's knife. Vicious was arrested for the murder, but died of a heroin overdose on February 2, 1979 while out on bail.

Spungen's and Vicious's nontraditional romance was the subject of an off-Broadway play as well as the 1986 film Sid and Nancy. To find out more on the true and painful life story of Nancy Spungen check out "And I Don't want to Live this Life" written in 1983 by Nancy's mother Deborah Spungen.