The Billy Idol Should Be Dead Documentary Premieres at Tribeca Festival 2025

On Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 5pm Tribeca Festival held the world premiere of the rock icon Billy Idol documentary.

The film called “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” takes audiences on a raw, riveting ride through one of rock’s most iconic rebels. Grammy Award-winner Jonas Åkerlund returns to feature-length documentary filmmaking, pulling back the leather-clad curtain on Billy Idol’s meteoric rise from sneering punk provocateur to MTV-era pop superstar.

Using never-before-seen archival footage and intimate interviews, the film dives deep into Idol’s formative years and the personal chaos that nearly ended it all.

More than just a rock doc — this is a story about reckoning with the past and finding a way forward. Åkerlund’s kinetic style and unflinching candor deliver an unforgettable portrait of a man who’s cheated death, defied expectations and still commands the stage with the same swagger that first set him apart. For longtime fans and new audiences alike, this film is a must-see celebration of resilience and rock ’n’ roll. — Mara Tatevosian.

Immediately after the Premiere, there was an intimate performance by Billy Idol which showed that after all these years, Billy has still got it.