Johnny Rotten may not like it but he is starting to become Johnny Icon.

The 57-year-old former frontman of the anarchic 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols is to receive an award for his contribution to music from the music rights organisation BMI, although he angrily rejected previous honours.

Singer-songwriter John Lydon, who went by the name Johnny Rotten as he belted out songs like Pretty Vacant and Anarchy in the UK, will be presented with BMI’s Icon Award at a gala in London on October 15.

Lydon, with his trademark orange hair, and the Pistols are credited with launching punk rock in Britain and inspiring scores of other musicians with their expletive-ridden, anti-establishment rage.

“John Lydon is a true icon whose influence on music, fashion and art has been felt around the world,” Del Bryant, BMI President and CEO, said yesterday in a statement.

Lydon was not immediately available to comment on the award but news of the honour was posted on his website and tweeted by his current band, Public Image Ltd, suggesting he had accepted.

In fact Lydon does appear to have mellowed over the years.

In 2004 he appeared in the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in which participants face jungle conditions, and in 2008 in a much-maligned advert for British butter, later insisting he was proud to boost the image of a UK brand.

However, he came under fire in Australia earlier this year, accused of sexism after telling a female presenter to “shut up when a man is talking”. He later apologised, saying his only enemies are governments and institutions, not women. (Reuters)