Nancy Spungen was born February 27, 1958 to Frank and Deborah Spungen. The Spungens were a middle-class Jewish family in a
suburb of Philadelphia. Her father was a businessman and her mother owned a local
health food store. She was premature by
a month and half early and suffered from severe cyanosis.
As a child she was hyperactive and reportedly
exhibited violent behaviour towards her younger sister and brother Susan (food editor at Martha Stewart) and David. She is
also alleged to have threatened to kill a babysitter and to have attacked her mother with a hammer during a disagreement over
seeing a movie. By age eleven she had
been expelled from the public school system and was receiving psychotherapy. She reportedly attempted suicide
several times and suffered from depression.
Her family sent her to various residential facilities for disturbed children. She briefly attended the University of
Colorado.
Spungen left home at age 17 and moved
to New York City. The allegation that
she was a groupie has been contested, but the fact that she stayed with Sid Vicious long after he had no money and wasn't
actually a star could show otherwise. She followed bands such as Aerosmith, The New York Dolls and The Ramones. She later worked as a stripper in New York City, which sometimes involved prostitution. She reportedly moved to London with the express purpose of winning over Jerry Nolan of The New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers,
but met The Sex Pistols instead. Lead singer Johnny Rotten introduced her to bassist Sid Vicious and they promptly moved in together.
During a rocky 11-month relationship Spungen
and Vicious abused heroin and other drugs.
Vicious was already an abuser of multiple drugs before he met Spungen but many sources claim she introduced him to heroin, other sources claim that he had begun to use heroin with his
mother at an early age. The tabloids dubbed
her Nauseating Nancy for reportedly frequent and public displays of drug-fueled verbal abuse and violence. Vicious'
emotional dependence on her is said to have interfered with the Sex Pistols' performances and contributed to the band's breakup
during their U.S. tour. Spungen and Vicious moved to the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York City where
Vicious tried, with limited success, to continue his musical career.
Following accelerated drug abuse and reports of domestic violence came to an end on October 12,
1978, when Spungen was found sprawled
on the bathroom floor of their hotel room clad in a black bra and panties. It is likely the details of Spungen's death will
never be known. She had bled to death from a single stab wound to the abdomen, later traced to a knife owned by Vicious. This
was reportedly a "007" hunting knife he had obtained after seeing Dee Dee Ramone give one to The Dead Boys' Stiv Bators. Vicious was immediately arrested for murder. While free on bail
he made several remarks which were interpreted by some to be a confession. However, there was also an issue of a stolen bank
roll and possible involvement of drug dealers. On February 2, 1979, Vicious died of a heroin overdose
which has sometimes been described as suicide.
Spungen's and Vicious' romance was the
subject of an off-Broadway play and the
1986 Alex Cox film Sid and Nancy,
in which Chloe Webb portrayed Spungen,
opposite Gary Oldman as Vicious.
