Susan Lucas, the legendary punk icon known as Soo Catwoman, died on September 30, 2025, at the age of 70 after being hospitalized and falling into a coma. Her family described her passing as “unexpected” and “devastating,” noting she was surrounded by loved ones in her final moments at a London hospital. No official cause of death has been disclosed.
The punk world lost a true original with Soo Catwoman’s unexpected passing, surrounded by family in her final London moments.
Rising to prominence in London’s burgeoning punk scene between 1976 and 1978, Lucas became instantly recognizable for her distinctive cat-inspired haircut that featured two pointed “ears” of hair. This signature look, which earned her the Catwoman moniker, would become one of punk’s most enduring visual symbols and influence generations of musicians and designers.
Though frequently photographed alongside the Sex Pistols and The Damned, Lucas was not merely adjacent to punk culture but central to it. As part of the “Bromley Contingent,” an informal group of early Sex Pistols devotees, she helped define the movement’s aesthetic rebellion. She once shared residence with Sid Vicious during punk’s formative years.
Unlike many contemporaries who capitalized on their notoriety, Lucas deliberately avoided commercial exploitation of her fame, choosing instead to lead a private life focused on raising her children, Shem and Dion Lucas, who survive her. This reluctance to commodify her image only enhanced her authentic standing within punk culture.
Her visual influence extended far beyond the 1970s, inspiring designers at fashion houses including Chanel, Junya Watanabe, and Mugler. Musicians like The Prodigy’s Keith Flint later adopted elements of her distinctive style, cementing her legacy as a cultural touchstone. Her musical contributions included collaborating with Derwood Andrews on a version of “Backstabbers.” Despite her limited musical output, Lucas understood the importance of stage presence for those who performed in the scene she helped create.
Though rarely in the public eye in her later years, Lucas appeared in several punk documentaries including “The Punk Rock Movie” (1978) and “The Filth and the Fury” (2000). Her portrayal in the 2022 series “Pistol” introduced her to new audiences, though she remained steadfastly independent of the commercialization of punk culture throughout her life. Unlike many of her peers who explored music licensing opportunities for additional income, Lucas maintained a principled distance from the commercial aspects of the industry. Her death was later revealed to be from complications of meningitis.
Following her death, her family established a GoFundMe for funeral expenses, honoring the woman widely remembered as “the female face of punk.”
