Johnny Rotten paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after the longtime monarch died on Thursday.
John Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten when he was the frontman for the Sex Pistols when the punk rockers sneered their 1977 anti-monarch anthem, “God Save the Queen,” issued a tribute to the late monarch after the 96-year-old queen died, Rolling Stone reported.
“Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II,” Lydon, now 66, tweeted. “Send her victorious.”
The short statement was accompanied by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the same image used on the cover of the Sex Pistols’ 1977 single.
Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II.
— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 9, 2022
Send her victorious.
From all at https://t.co/vK2Du0ZzDS pic.twitter.com/kq4M6WfeML
The short tribute was in stark contrast to Lydon’s biting lyrics on the Sex Pistols’ single, which was released a week before the queen’s Silver Jubilee, Variety reported.
“God save the Queen/the fascist regime” and “God save the Queen/she ain’t no human being,” Lydon wrote at the height ot the punk rock craze.
“Send her victorious” is a line from the actual “God Save the Queen” anthem, according to Classical Music.
The BBC banned the song, adding to its infamy, according to Deadline.
“God bless the Queen. She’s put up with a lot,” Lydon wrote in June for an op-ed in The Times of London. “I’ve got no animosity against any one of the royal family. Never did. It’s the institution of it that bothers me and the assumption that I’m to pay for that. There’s where I draw the line. It’s like, ‘No, you’re not getting ski holidays on my tax.’”
The Sex Pistols’ official Twitter account has not yet commented on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lydon joins hundreds of artists who have offered tributes to the queen, including Elton John, Paul McCartney, Harry Styles, Kanye West and Eddie Vedder among the musicians paying their respects, Rolling Stone reported.
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