Nancy Spungen

Nancy was born to a well to do Jewish family in Philadelphia. She was a hyperactive child, reportedly throwing suicidal cursing fits at the age of eight and abusing heroin by 15. At 19 she became a groupie, following such bands as Aerosmith, Bad Company, and The Ramones. She moved with a friend to London, and briefly worked as a prostitute. She met Sex Pistols bass player Sid Vicious one night, after she slammed her knuckles against a brick wall during a bar brawl. They quickly moved in together, and during their 21-month relationship, used heroin daily. Their destructive personalities and lifestyles, as well as Sid's emotional dependence on her, hurt the Sex Pistols' performance and the band split up during its US tour. Sid and Nancy moved to the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York City where Sid tried, with little success, to revive his musical career. Fueled by lack of money, increased drug abuse and reports of domestic violence, the pair seemed destined for a tragic end. That end came on October 12, 1978, when Nancy's partially-clothed body was found in their hotel bathroom, stabbed in the stomach with Sid's knife. Sid was charged with the murder, but died of a heroin overdose (likely suicidal) in February 1979 while out on bail. Sid directed that his ashes be poured over Nancy's grave.