New Documentary Traces Billy Idol’s Path From Punk Pioneer to Rock Icon

A documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, about rocker Billy Idol hit theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 26. It tracks his years in London's punk scene, his MTV fame, and brushes with death.

Jonas Åkerlund directed it and Live Nation Studios handled production, according to Broadway World. It premiered at the Tribeca Festival last summer before hitting screens nationwide. Los Angeles saw it first at TCL Chinese Theatre on Feb. 23, while New York got its showing at Regal Union Square two days later.

Viewers get archival footage nobody's seen before, plus interviews with Idol himself. His family talks. So do peers and those who worked with him. Miley Cyrus appears, as well as Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong shows up, and Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan. The Who's Pete Townshend weighs in, and so do Sex Pistols members Steve Jones and Paul Cook.

The trailer starts with an old interview. Someone asked what he'd do with his cash if his music topped charts in America and England. He answered, "I'd spend it on drugs."

The work examines how he became a punk rocker, then a worldwide star during MTV's heyday. It shows the battles he fought just to stay alive. 

An original song called "Dying To Live" plays throughout. Idol wrote it with Steve Stevens, Tommy English, Joe Janiak, and songwriter J. Ralph. The track made the shortlist for Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards.

He just got added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 ballot. Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, Oasis, Sade, Iron Maiden, and Jeff Buckley made the list as well.

His first full-length album in more than ten years, Dream Into It, came out through Dark Horse Records. It got to No. 7 on the U.S. Top Albums Chart and No. 4 on the U.S. Current Rock Album Chart.

You can find screening times and tickets at billyidolshouldbedead.com.