Billy Idol has been capturing hearts since he burst onto the London punk rock scene in 1976. Before he became a solo sensation, Billy was part of the band Chelsea. It was during this time that his bandmates gave him the iconic makeover that would define his style and make him irresistible to fans. Despite his fame and numerous relationships with Hollywood stars, Billy has never walked down the aisle.
In 1982, Billy released his self-titled debut album, which introduced the world to timeless hits like "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself." These tracks became staples on MTV during the "Second British Invasion," sweeping across the U.S. music scene. Over the next decade, Billy released two more albums that achieved commercial success. As his music career soared, so did the intrigue surrounding his personal life and bad-boy reputation.
Billy Idol, with his iconic bleach blonde hair and leather-clad image, became the poster child for punk rock worldwide. During an episode of the "Rolling Stone: Music Now" podcast in October 2019, Billy opened up about how his looks played a part in his early success.
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"Yeah, I could attract girls. That was the other thing. Most of the punk rock groups played to — it was all men, virtually, all men, except maybe there were five or ten girls there," he reminisced. "We played to half girls and half guys. There you go. There’s one side of it, yeah, you get a little bit slagged off, 'Yeah, he’s only getting where he’s getting because he’s good-looking or something,' I don’t know."
Not all of Billy's relationships throughout his career were with famous women. With the success of his eight studio albums, touring the world became his norm. In a 2014 interview with CBS, Billy spoke candidly about his admirers and the groupies he met on tour.
"It’s impossible," he admitted about staying faithful. "I mean, especially on a 10-month tour, on a bus, going from nowhere, from place to place to Denny’s, Carl’s Jr., Denny’s, McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., Denny’s, truck stop, and you wanted something to break up the monotony. And the only way to do it was a piece of human flesh."
Billy is now a devoted father and grandfather, and has been happily settled with one woman for the past few years. Scroll to uncover more about Billy’s fascinating relationship history.
Perri Lister: The Early Days
The singer behind "Sweet Sixteen" began a relationship with dancer Perri Lister in 1980. Perri was a member of the dance group Hot Gossip in the 1970s and was also one of the original Blitz Kids, instrumental in launching the New Romantic movement in London's nightlife scene.
In 1988, Billy and Perri welcomed their son, Willem Wolf Broad. At the time, rumors were swirling about Billy's alleged infidelity to Perri. Around the same year, he began seeing Linda Mathis, and the pair welcomed their daughter, Bonnie Blue Broad, in 1989. In a November 2016 interview with Louder, Billy confessed that resisting temptation on the road was difficult during his relationship with Perri.
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"Well, we were out on the road for a long time. The Rebel Yell tour was 10 months. You’re out in the middle of nowhere, and in those days there were no computers or cable television, particularly, so one had to entertain oneself," he shared. "And, of course, one usually used whatever there was in the audience for that. I loved Perri but I couldn’t help but have dalliances. Now I’m a lot different. I have a girlfriend who I’m very much involved with and I don’t want to be with anybody else but her."
