Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, hard-rocking frontman of Motorhead, dies at 70

Lanky and long-haired, with mutton chops and moles, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister looked and lived like a hard-rock hero. He founded Motorhead in 1975 and continued recording and touring with the band until his death.

He began every live show with the announcement, “We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll!”

The singer and bassist died Dec. 28 at age 70 after a brief battle with aggressive cancer, said his agent Andrew Goodfriend. Mr. Kilmister had learned of the diagnosis just two days earlier, according to a statement from the band, and he also suffered several other health problems in recent months.

“We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words,” the band said in announcing the death on its Facebook page. “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.”

Born on Christmas Eve 1945, in Staffordshire, England, Mr. Kilmister was deeply respected and revered as a rock master and innovator, from his time with the seminal psychedelic band Hawkwind in the early 1970s to his four decades in Motorhead, best known for the 1980 anthem “Ace of Spades.” The band won a Grammy Award in 2004 for best metal performance.

Ozzy Osbourne called Mr. Kilmister “one of my best friends.”

Metallica tweeted: “Lemmy, you are one of the primary reasons this band exists. We’re forever grateful for all of your inspiration.”

Numerous other rock musicians took to social media to pay tribute.

“You can’t say ‘heavy metal’ without mentioning Lemmy,” Alice Cooper said in a statement.

The Recording Academy also noted Mr. Kilmister’s death, calling him “a remarkable frontman and bona fide heavy metal icon.”

“His magnetic stage presence and willingness to break barriers propelled the metal genre to new heights, influencing countless fellow musicians in the process,” Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said in a statement. “We have lost a truly dynamic member of the music community.”

Source: www.washingtonpost.com