Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead Frontman, Dies at 70

Heavy metal icon and Motörhead frontman Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister died from cancer on Monday, the band's management has confirmed. He was 70.

Kilmister founded Motörhead in 1975 and has remain the band's sole constant member, known for his powerful bass playing, gravelly vocals, his massive mutton chops and seemingly indestructible constitution, which somehow weathered more than 50 years of hard living, hard touring, cigarettes, alcohol and amphetamines.  The band's longtime manager Todd Singerman praised Kilmister for mustering the energy to finish the Motörhead's recent European tour, saying his passing has caught them all by surprise. He said that neither Kilmister nor anyone on his team knew the rock star had cancer until just a few days ago. 

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, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD”, Motörhead said in a statement posted to Facebook

Kilmister was born Dec. 24, 1945, in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He was bitten by the rock and roll bug at an early age, took up the guitar and later saw the Beatles play at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool. He moved to London in the early 1960s and performed with several bands and worked as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix in 1968.  He switched to bass to join the psych-rock outfit Hawkwind in 1972, and was with the band during its most fertile era. His first work for Hawkwind was to record the vocals for "Silver Machine," which went on to become a hit single in the U.K. and the group's defining song.