R.I.P. Lemmy
R.I.P. Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead frontman dead at 70
Rock icon had been battling an extremely aggressive cancer
Lemmy Kilmister, founding member and frontman of Motörhead. has died. He was 70 years old.
News of his death was first reported by radio and TV host Eddie Trunk, who was a longtime friend of Lemmy. Several others have since confirmed the news, including Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who wrote on Twitter, “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.”
In a statement posted to Facebook, Motörhead wrote, “There is no easy way to say this… our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from the Rainbow which had recently made it’s way down the street, with his family. We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words. We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please… play Motörhead loud.”
In addition to cancer, Lemmy had been suffering from a number of other well-publicized health issues, including hematoma. In 2013, he was fitted with an implantable defibrillator to correct an irregular heartbeat. His health issues had caused the cancelation of multiple Motörhead performances in recent years, though Lemmy remained an active force up until the time of his death.
Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister was born Staffordshire, England in 1945. Inspired to become a musician after seeing The Beatles perform in concert, Lemmy spent his 20s playing in a variety of bands, and also served as a roadie in the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
In 1972, he was hired to play bass in the UK space rock group Hawkwind, despite having no previous experience on the instrument. He quickly honed his skills, helping shape the band’s sound on critically acclaimed albums such Space Ritual, while also signing lead vocals on the song “Silver Machine”, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts.
Lemmy was lead vocalist, bassist, principal songwriter and the founding, and the only constant member of Motörhead since the band’s formation in 1975. To date, Motörhead have released twenty studio albums and achieved 30 million in sales worldwide. Their last record, Bad Magic, was released in August 2015.
Motörhead saw far more commercial success in the UK, though they achieved a cult status in the US. Their ferocious hard-rock style rejuvenated the metal genre in the late 1970s and inspired everyone from Metallica to Guns N’ Roses to Dave Grohl. Albums such as Ace of Spades, Orgasmatron, and Rock N’ Roll were critically lauded, though ironically the band’s only Grammy Award came via a cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash”, which they recorded for a tribute CD.
Lemmy’s outlandish behavior further fueled his icon status. He was fired from Hawkwind after being arrested at the Canadian border for drug possession, yet his appetite for drugs and alcohol remained a constant throughout most of his career. He famously claimed he had drunken a bottle of Jack Daniel’s every day since turning 30, and he was also a proponent of amphetamines. Recently, he joked that he had switched from drinking whiskey to vodka for “health reasons.”
“Apparently I am still indestructible,” he insisted in a 2014 interview with the Guardian, noting that the only thing that will keep him from playing music was death itself. “As long as I can walk the few yards from the back to the front of the stage without a stick,” he said, adding with a laugh, “Or even if I do have to use a stick.”
Lemmy also dabbled in acting with cameos in films such as Airheads, Hardware, and even Foo Fighters’ video for “White Limo”.
Consequence of Sound had the honor of speaking with Lemmy during the Motörhead Cruise this past September. In the audio interview, he reflected on his career, why he continued to perform despite his age and health issues, and why heavy metal is the greatest genre in music. In typical Lemmy fashion, he also took a swipe at fellow UK natives Radiohead. You can listen to the interview in full below.
Daniel Boczarski, Getty Images Lemmy Kilmister has died at the age of 70. Motorhead confirmed his death, saying their frontman passed “after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer.”
The band added that they “cannot begin to express our shock and sadness; there aren’t words. We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please … play Motorhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few. Share stories. Celebrate the LIFE this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself. HE WOULD WANT EXACTLY THAT.”
Lemmy’s final illness followed numerous health issues over the past few years, most recently this summer, when a lung infection forced six shows to either be curtailed shortly after taking the stage or canceled outright. In 2013, he suffered a hematoma and had been fitted with a defibrillator to correct heart problems. Throughout all Lemmy’s scares, he maintained his sense of humor, saying “Apparently, I am still indestructible” back in August.
Born on Christmas Eve 1945, in Stoke-on Trent, Staffordshire, England, Kilmister (whose nickname allegedly originated in his habit of asking everyone to “lemmy a fiver”) was abandoned by his father – a Royal Air Force chaplain – at three months of age, then raised by his mother and a strict stepfather in North Wales.
At age 16, he saw the Beatles perform at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, and began teaching himself guitar. Lemmy joined his first bands in the mid ’60s, cutting his teeth on northern England’s tour circuit with the Rainmakers, the Motown Sect and the Rockin’ Vickers. By 1967, Lemmy was established in London, rooming with Noel Redding and briefly working as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience before linking up with psychedelic rockers Sam Gopal in ’68.
He then joined Hawkwind as a bassist in 1972, playing on four albums (including Doremi Fasol Latido and Space Ritual) while lending his already recognizably hoarse vocals to Hawkwind’s biggest hit “Silver Machine.” He was fired in 1975, however, after an arrest for drug possession while on tour.
Lemmy plotted his revenge by forming a new band called “Bastard” with erstwhile Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. They later changed their name to Motorhead in reference to the final song Lemmy wrote with Hawkwind, then re-recorded the track for what would have been Motorhead’s debut, On Parole. United Artists, the fledgling trio’s former label, rejected the LP, however. Almost two years would pass before Lemmy and his new cohorts, guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, released updated versions of those songs as Motorhead’s eponymous 1977 debut.
After another year of ruthless touring, the trio truly hit their stride behind a string of legendary albums in Overkill, Bomber and Ace of Spades. This era of success was capped by the live album No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, which debuted in 1981 at No. 1 on the U.K. charts – an astonishing feat, considering Motorhead’s incomparably raw and frantic sound had some critics labeling them the “worst band in the world.”
For hard rock and heavy metal fans everywhere, however, Motorhead were now proven royalty. Their influence on the burgeoning speed and thrash metal movements of the ’80s was second to none, and though their career fortunes fluctuated – and numerous lineup reshuffles followed – Motorhead’s underground credibility rarely wavered.
The band added that they “cannot begin to express our shock and sadness; there aren’t words. We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please … play Motorhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few. Share stories. Celebrate the LIFE this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself. HE WOULD WANT EXACTLY THAT.”
Lemmy’s final illness followed numerous health issues over the past few years, most recently this summer, when a lung infection forced six shows to either be curtailed shortly after taking the stage or canceled outright. In 2013, he suffered a hematoma and had been fitted with a defibrillator to correct heart problems. Throughout all Lemmy’s scares, he maintained his sense of humor, saying “Apparently, I am still indestructible” back in August.
Born on Christmas Eve 1945, in Stoke-on Trent, Staffordshire, England, Kilmister (whose nickname allegedly originated in his habit of asking everyone to “lemmy a fiver”) was abandoned by his father – a Royal Air Force chaplain – at three months of age, then raised by his mother and a strict stepfather in North Wales.
At age 16, he saw the Beatles perform at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, and began teaching himself guitar. Lemmy joined his first bands in the mid ’60s, cutting his teeth on northern England’s tour circuit with the Rainmakers, the Motown Sect and the Rockin’ Vickers. By 1967, Lemmy was established in London, rooming with Noel Redding and briefly working as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience before linking up with psychedelic rockers Sam Gopal in ’68.
He then joined Hawkwind as a bassist in 1972, playing on four albums (including Doremi Fasol Latido and Space Ritual) while lending his already recognizably hoarse vocals to Hawkwind’s biggest hit “Silver Machine.” He was fired in 1975, however, after an arrest for drug possession while on tour.
Lemmy plotted his revenge by forming a new band called “Bastard” with erstwhile Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. They later changed their name to Motorhead in reference to the final song Lemmy wrote with Hawkwind, then re-recorded the track for what would have been Motorhead’s debut, On Parole. United Artists, the fledgling trio’s former label, rejected the LP, however. Almost two years would pass before Lemmy and his new cohorts, guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, released updated versions of those songs as Motorhead’s eponymous 1977 debut.
After another year of ruthless touring, the trio truly hit their stride behind a string of legendary albums in Overkill, Bomber and Ace of Spades. This era of success was capped by the live album No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, which debuted in 1981 at No. 1 on the U.K. charts – an astonishing feat, considering Motorhead’s incomparably raw and frantic sound had some critics labeling them the “worst band in the world.”
For hard rock and heavy metal fans everywhere, however, Motorhead were now proven royalty. Their influence on the burgeoning speed and thrash metal movements of the ’80s was second to none, and though their career fortunes fluctuated – and numerous lineup reshuffles followed – Motorhead’s underground credibility rarely wavered.
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R.I.P. to a unigue calssic.
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