Ian Fraser Kilmister, who is widely known as Motorhead frontman Lemmy, passed away yesterday (28th December) after a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer. He was 70 years old.
According to Variety, the news was first reported by radio and TV host Eddie Trunk, a longtime buddy of Lemmy.
The band also confirmed Lemmy’s death on their official Facebook page.
In a Facebook post, they said:
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 favourite video game from the Rainbow which had recently made its 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 Motorhead loud.
Tributes started to pour in from the metal world’s luminaries, with Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne tweeting:
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
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea were also among those to pay tribute to Lemmy:
My friend died today. We'll all miss you. Your name was Lemmy, and you played Rock n Roll. Rest in Peace, my man.#RIPLemmy
— fuck your checkmark (@CoreyTaylorRock) December 29, 2015
https://twitter.com/flea333/status/681640482531741696
https://twitter.com/davidcoverdale/status/681638927367680000/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
drink a toast to this guy, one of the last true legends of rock 'n roll. Ace Of Spades. motorhead. https://t.co/Lh0Nl9hDTY via @YouTube
— Stars (@youarestars) December 29, 2015
Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975. He was a member of Hawkwind, but was later asked to leave after being arrested on drug charges. He was also a roadie for Jimi Hendrix.
According to Consequence of Sound, Lemmy were also suffering from a few other illnesses, including hematoma. Back in 2013, he was fitted with an implantable defibrillator to amend an irregular heartbeat. A number of Motorhead shows were canceled due to his deteriorating health.
Our deepest condolences to Lemmy’s friends and family members. May he rest in peace.
Sources: The Malay Mail Online, Consequence Of Sound, Variety.
