As the music world mourns the death of Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, who died yesterday aged 70, the band’s drummer Mikkey Dee (pictured left) has said the group is now officially “over”.
Speaking with Expressen, Dee says Kilmister, who was Motörhead’s sole original member, is the only source of the band’s identity.
“Motörhead is over, of course. Lemmy was Motörhead. But the band will live on in the memories of many,” Dee says.
Dee, who joined Motörhead in 1992, says the band will cease touring and won’t record any more music.
“We won’t be doing any more tours or anything. And there won’t be any more records. But the brand survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone,” he says.
Motörhead played their last show in Berlin earlier this year, when Kilmister was already ill. “He was terribly gaunt, he spent all his energy on stage and afterwards he was very, very tired,” Dee says.
“It’s incredible that he could even play, that he could finish the Europe tour. It was only 20 days ago. Unbelievable.
“It feels fantastic that we were able to complete the tour with him. It’s heartening that we didn’t cancel because of Lemmy.
“I’m incredibly grateful over the years we had, and that we had such a good time together.”
Motörhead issued a statement following Kilmister’s death, saying the frontman died of an aggressive form of cancer after being diagnosed on Boxing Day.
Motörhead’s longtime manager Todd Singerman has told Sky News (Via Independent) that Kilmister was given “two to six months to live” when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer on Saturday, two days before his death.
Singerman says Kilmister went to hospital two days after a star-studded birthday party at Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go Go club on 13th December because he was feeling unwell, and tests later showed terminal cancer in his brain and neck.
Since Kilmister’s passing, tributes have been flooding in, with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl going so far as to get an Ace Of Spades tattoo in the singer’s memory, according to this Instagram post:
Catch a series of 13 badass Lemmy photos, below.
Gallery: 13 Photos Of Lemmy Kilmister At His Most Badass
13 Photos That Show Lemmy Kilmister At His Most Badass
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1. Lemmy Chills With Dimebag Darrell
Nothing warms our hearts more than this photo of The Kilmister in his prime, hanging out with a fellow rock legend at a charity benefit. Bet he’s up there drinking black tooth grins with Dime now. -
2. Lemmy Wears Short-Shorts, Holding A Katana, While Smoking A Cigarette
Your argument is invalid. -
3. Lemmy Launches Official Sex Toy Range
And brings new meaning to the name “Motörhead” -
4. Lemmy Shows Us His Sensitive Side
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5. Lemmy Does Double Denim
Seriously, not even Sean Connery circa Zardoz could pull off this look. -
6. Lemmy Stars In <em>The Loudest Silent Movie On Earth</em>
Proving a badass to the very end, Lemmy is one of the top-billed stars to feature in the upcoming silent film Gutterdämmerung. Speaking in the 2016 flick’s batshit crazy trailer, Lemmy says: “If you don’t like it, you can fuck off”. -
7. Lemmy Hangs With His BFF
Two worlds collided when the Prince Of Darkness met the King of Jack and speed metal some 38 years ago, and the pair have been close mates ever since. Lemmy even co-wrote four songs on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1991 album No More Tears (which may or may not explain how he got this bandaged wrist) -
8. Lemmy Gets In Touch With His Animal Instincts
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9. Lemmy Meets Some Of His Biggest Fans
“Lemmy, you are one of the primary reasons this band exists. We are forever grateful for all of your inspiration” – Metallica. -
10. Lemmy Dresses As The Pope
“God bless you, my child. Even though you’re an asshole.” -
11. Lemmy Is A Bad Influence On The Nicest Guy In Rock
“We recorded his track in Los Angeles in maybe two takes about a year and a half ago. Until then I’d never met what I’d call a real rock ‘n’ roll hero before. Fuck Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy’s the king of rock ‘n’ roll – he told me he never considered Motörhead a metal band, he was quite adamant. Lemmy’s a living, breathing, drinking and snorting fucking legend. No one else comes close.” – Dave Grohl -
12. Lemmy Is A ‘Sex Legend’
In a 2005 doco called Motörhead: Live Fast, Die Old, it was claimed that Lemmy had “bedded” in excess of 2,000 women. Lemmy himself later offered some clarification: “I said more than a thousand, the magazine made two thousand of it.” Right then. -
13. Lemmy Continues To Give Zero Fucks
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13. Lemmy Is God
Lemmy’s close friend Eddie Trunk of That Metal Show fame posted the following picture to Twitter after breaking the news of his death, claiming it was sent to him by none other than Rob Halford of Judas Priest
