On Dec. 28, 2015, heavy metal fans lost a giant in Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister. The founder of heavy metal legends Motörhead was 70 years old when he died at his Los Angeles apartment two days after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer. Today, 10 years after his passing, we remember the singular force of nature that was Lemmy.
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His bandmates confirmed his death in a Facebook post, writing, “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 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 Motörhead loud.”
Born Dec. 24, 1945, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, Lemmy learned to play guitar to the tune of the Beatles album Please Please Me at 16, after seeing the Fab Four perform in their hometown of Liverpool. He played in several local bands before moving to London in 1967. Lemmy went on to work as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and the Nice before joining the space rock band, Hawkwind, in 1971.
After spending four years with Hawkwind, the band fired Lemmy due to his issues with substance use. In 1975, he formed the band that would become Motorhead. Kilmister remained the band’s only constant member throughout its five-decade tenure. Selling more than 25 million records worldwide, Motorhead found success with albums like Overkill and Ace of Spades.
Motorhead Remembers Lemmy A Decade After His Passing
Following the iconic frontman’s death, the remaining members of Motorhead refused to go on without him. “Lemmy was Motörhead. We won’t be doing any more tours or anything,” said drummer Mikkey Dee. “And there won’t be any more records. But the brand survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone.”
The Grammy winner’s bandmates paid tribute to him on social media Sunday (Dec. 28), which marks a whole decade since his passing.
“Thankfully you remain as important and vital a figure in this world as ever before, a compass of human decency, (some fun indecencies), and one of the most genuinely great guys ever to walk the Earth,” the post read. “We continue to carry your immortal presence with us wherever we go…not to mention your sense of humour too! Thank you for being YOU Lem, we love you. Lemmy Forever.”
Featured image by Frank Hoensch/Redferns via Getty Images
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