Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, the Motörhead frontman whose outsized persona made him a hero for generations of hard-rockers and metal-heads, has died.
Agent Andrew Goodfriend told The Associated Press that Kilmister died on Monday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with aggressive cancer.
Known simply as “Lemmy” to most, he was as famous for his mustache, mutton chops and the mole on his face as his music.
But he 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 Motörhead, best known for their 1980 anthem “Ace of Spades.”
Each of the band’s legendary live shows would begin with Kilmister’s loud announcement: “We are Motörhead! We play rock and roll!”
The band broke the news to fans Monday evening in an annoucement on its website.
“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,” the band said on its official website, adding that Kilmister had only learned he had the disease on Saturday. “We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.”
Ozzy Osbourne called him “one of my best friends.”
“He will be sadly missed,” Osbourne wrote on Twitter late Monday. “He was a warrior and a legend. I will see you on the other side.”
The bassist and singer, formed Motörhead in 1975 after parting ways Hawkwind. The band had its greatest commercial success in England, particularly in the early ’80s with albums such as “Ace of Spades” and “Iron Fist.” The band had a number of personnel changes over the years, though the constants were Kilmister, guitarist Phil “Wizzo” Campbell and Mikkey Dee.
Kilmister also had a side project, Headcat, which performed in 2013 at the Musink Tattoo Convention & Music Festivla in Costa Mesa.
Klimster was the subject of a 2010 documentary film “Lemmy,” which was produced and directed by former Orange County Register reporter Wes Orshoski. The film premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, and received good reviews, notching an 87 percent positive score on the aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes.
The band closed its death announcement with the words: “Please … play Motörhead 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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
