The world of rock is in mourning after it was announced that Lemmy Kilmister, the legendary frontman for Motörhead, has died at the age of 70.
The official Motörhead Facebook page confirmed that Lemmy had died “after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer.” It was also revealed that Lemmy had only learnt of the disease on December 26, while the band insisted that fans should now “play Motörhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few.”
Lemmy’s death was originally confirmed by television host Eddie Trunk, who took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to reveal the tragic news.
Sorry to report that I have confirmed Lemmy @myMotorhead has passed away just now at the age of 70. RIP to a true original icon of rock.
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) December 29, 2015
After Trunk’s post, a number of other Tweets from a cavalcade of celebrities that knew and were close to the musician were uploaded. This included Ozzy Osbourne and Triple H.
#RIPLemmy One life, lived your way, from the beginning, till the end See you down the road my friend… Thank you for the gift of your sound
— Triple H (@TripleH) December 29, 2015
Lost one of my best friends, Lemmy, today. He will be sadly missed. He was a warrior and a legend. I will see you on the other side.
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) December 29, 2015
RIP Lemmy. A rebel poet until the end. A true inspiration.
— Myles Kennedy (@MylesKennedy) December 29, 2015
Never thought the day would come…Rest in power #Lemmy You are and will always be a rock god… https://t.co/N5bI6TSlso
— Travis Barker (@travisbarker) December 29, 2015
Lemmy has passed away. Truly one of a kind. Much more to him than many knew. RIP. @RollingStone @ClassicRockMag pic.twitter.com/d1izWStIii
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) December 29, 2015
It’s been well documented that Lemmy, who was born in Stoke On Trent, England, had suffered a variety of health issues over the last few years. This included him being fitted with an implantable defibrillator back in 2013, which was fitted to try and correct an irregular heartbeat issue.
Lemmy’s most prominent contribution to the musical world was his role as the lead vocalist, bassist, songwriter, and the founding and only constant member of Motörhead since the band’s creation back in 1975.
Since then, Motörhead have sold over 30 million sales across the world, having released over 20 studio albums over the last 40 years. Motörhead’s albums have inspired a wide array of other bands, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and the Foo Fighters, and while they never have too much commercial success in the U.S., they had a strong cult following.
Lemmy also worked as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, before he was hired to play bass for the U.K. band Hawkwind, even though he’d never played the instrument before.
Lemmy also developed a reputation for his reckless behavior involving women, drugs, and alcohol. Lemmy claims to have slept with over a thousand women, while he also revealed in a documentary on his life that he’s drunk a bottle of Jack Daniels every single day since he was 30-years-old. He decided to stop back in 2013 due to health concerns.
[Image via Associated Press]
