Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead frontman dead at 70

Lemmy Kilmister, founding member and frontman of Motörhead. has died. He was 70 years old.

News of his death was first reported by radio and TV host Eddie Trunk, who was a longtime friend of Lemmy. Several others have since confirmed the news, including Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.

Motörhead has yet to formally confirm the news, though it is expected they will do so tomorrow.

The cause of Lemmy’s death is unknown, though he had been suffering from a number of well-publicized health issues, including hematoma. In 2013, he was fitted with an implantable defibrillator to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister was born in Staffordshire, England in 1945. Inspired to become a musician after seeing The Beatles perform in concert, Lemmy spent his 20s playing in a variety of bands, and also served as a roadie in the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

In 1972, he was hired to play bass in the UK space rock group Hawkwind, despite having no previous experience on the instrument. He quickly honed his skills, helping shape the band’s sound on critically acclaimed albums such as Space Ritual, while also signing lead vocals on the song “Silver Machine”, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts.

Lemmy was the lead vocalist, bassist, principal songwriter and the founding, and the only constant member of Motörhead since the band’s formation in 1975.

To date, Motörhead has released twenty studio albums and achieved 30 million in sales worldwide.