John Lydon of the Sex Pistols, has been with his wife, Nora Forster, for nearly five decades. For the last two years of their time together, Lydon took on the role of a full-time caregiver for Nora, who battled Alzheimer’s disease until her passing at the age of 80 this April. Despite his public image as a rebellious rocker, he expresses that he loves being a caretaker. Lydon recently told AARP in more detail about his wife’s final years and his role as her caregiver. He said:
“The last two years were very difficult, because she could only communicate in a childlike German. And she had trouble swallowing. I refused to listen to the so-called experts who said to keep her on a diet of porridge-like substances.”
Disagreeing with the doctors’ approach to his wife’s diet, Lydon opted for foods that appealed to her rather than porridge-like foods. He continued:
“The more intriguing and colorful things I put on her plate, the more she loved it. It could get into problems around toilet necessities, when she became incontinent. I changed my younger brothers’ nappies when I was young, because my mother was ill a lot. I’ve always been a caretaker — accidentally, I suppose. And I liked doing it a lot.”
Lydon Said ‘It Was Almost A Relief But I Loved Every Minute Of It’
John Lydon is a rocker who looks at life through a glass half full. Adopting a more positive outlook on life as he got older, Lydon reflected this to his wife Nora during his caregiver period. On September, he appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to talk about life after Nora, also telling that Nora remained joyful until the end. He said:
“It was almost a relief [when she died] as she was put out of her misery, for five solid years, but I loved every minute of it. I didn’t mind the wheelchairs or the nappies. I just got attached to her in a whole new way and I learnt so many new things about her. Just sharing comedy and humor with her was amazing because that would give her memory of what was going on.”
Once again, we extend our condolences to him.
