Johnny Rotten Wants 'Distance' from the Sex Pistols' Attempts to 'Cash In' on the Queen's Death

Jordi Vidal/Redferns; Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) of Sex Pistols, Queen Elizabeth II

John Lydon doesn't want to be associated with the Sex Pistols if the band is trying to "cash in" on Queen Elizabeth II's death.

In a series of tweets posted by Lydon's band Public Image Ltd's Twitter account on Thursday, the Sex Pistols vocalist known as Johnny Rotten criticized his fellow members of the iconic British punk band for approving commercial use of their signature 1977 hit "God Save the Queen." However, the Sex Pistols have since reportedly called Lydon's claims "baffling."

Alongside a photo of the late Queen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8 at age 96, the Public Image Ltd account tweeted, "John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any Sex Pistols activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II's death. The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John's wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement."

Per a follow-up tweet, the 66-year-old performer believes "the timing for endorsing any Sex Pistols requests for commercial gain in connection with 'God Save The Queen' in particular is tasteless and disrespectful to the Queen and her family at this moment in time."

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At the time of its release on the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols album in 1977, "God Save the Queen" proved controversial for its lyrics criticizing the monarchy as a "fascist regime" and claiming "there is no future in England's dreaming." Despite facing complete bans from the BBC and Independent Broadcasting Authority at the time, the song still managed to chart in the top 5 in the UK, Norway and Sweden.

"John wrote the lyrics to this historical song," continued the Public Image Ltd account, "and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died."

Hours after the tweets were posted, a spokesperson for the Sex Pistols reportedly referred to Lydon's comments as "baffling" in an email sent to UK newspaper The Independent.

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"We cannot understand what [Lydon] would be referring to," read a statement from the band, per the outlet. "Other than a couple requests for use of imagery or audio in news reports on the Queen and her impact on culture, there's nothing new relating to 'God Save the Queen' being promoted or released in any way."

On Sept. 8, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen's death in a statement. "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

The news of Queen Elizabeth's death arrived with another history-making moment: She is succeeded immediately by her eldest son, Prince Charles, 73, who will now be the monarch. Charles' firstborn son, Prince William, 40, is now next in line to the world's most famous throne, followed by his firstborn son, Prince George, 9. Her death follows her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in April 2021.