Motörhead Frontman Lemmy Kilmister Passes Away At 70

Lemmy Kilmister, founding member, singer, and bassist of the legendary British rock ‘n’ roll band Motörhead, has passed away at the age of 70. According to the band’s official Facebook page, the rock icon had found out he had an aggressive type of cancer just two days prior to his death.

Lemmy, who was born Ian Fraser Kilmister in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1945, was one of the greatest musicians in rock history, as well as the leader of one of the most loved and influential bands ever.

Famous for his raspy voice, facial warts, and recognizable mutton-chop whiskers, Lemmy rocked the world for decades, starting his musical journey with The Rockin’ Vickers prior to being recruited as the bassist for space rock band Hawkwind. After that, he formed Motörhead and the rest is, as they say, history. The loudest rock band in the world, which influenced countless metal bands to come, released 23 studio albums, including Overkill, Bomber, and Ace of Spades.

After informing the public of Lemmy’s death, the band requested that fans “play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few. Share stories. Celebrate the LIFE this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself.’’

Here’s Motörhead’s announcement of the sad news:

Lemmy’s fans and friends took to social media to pay tribute to the legend, share stories about him and, most importantly, listen to his music. Rest in peace, Lemmy.

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

Lemmy: Rest In Peace. Shake the heavens, my friend.

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) December 29, 2015

Lemmy, you are one of the primary reasons this band exists. We’re forever grateful for all of your inspiration. RIP pic.twitter.com/WC1csn5F5x

— Metallica (@Metallica) December 29, 2015

Sitting here, Re-Tweeting, distracted, and wondering what I can possibly say about our utterly unique friend Lemmy’s passing. Ouch. Bri

— Dr. Brian May (@DrBrianMay) December 29, 2015

Rest In Peace Lemmy. A hell of a man who suffered no fools. U shall be missed brother, and, THANK u 4 the years of unwavering kick ass R&R.

— Duff McKagan (@DuffMcKagan) December 29, 2015

Words about Lemmy can never be enough so we will simply say farewell Lord Lemmy thank you for the music, the shows, https://t.co/ktbp9TwHEI

— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) December 29, 2015

#RIPLemmy Musically uncompromising, hard living, soft spoken, you schooled us all. Ill treasure the stories and almost losing my hearing when we shared the stage.. #Killedbydeath GOD BLESS #LemmyKilmister

A photo posted by Juliette Lewis (@juliettelewis) on Dec 28, 2015 at 6:46pm PST

I love and miss you, my brother! Owe you the world! You were the real deal! @iamlemmy #RIPLEMMY pic.twitter.com/NkhZkPsXNX

— Dee Snider (@deesnider) December 29, 2015

Very sad to hear of Lemmy’s passing. We’ve lost a true, true legend. RIP pic.twitter.com/vVVckaeZXM

— Geezer Butler (@GZRMusic) December 29, 2015