Motorhead frontman ‘Lemmy’ dies at 70

Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, the hell-raising frontman of iconic British heavy metal band Motorhead, has died aged 70 of a sudden, aggressive cancer, the group said on Tuesday.

The gravel-voiced veteran, one of rock and roll’s great survivors despite a hard-partying lifestyle, was diagnosed with cancer on Saturday, two days after his 70th birthday, and died on Monday.

A godfather figure in heavy rock music, the singer and bass player with the band dubbed the world’s loudest was the embodiment of rock and roll excess. “Our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer,” the band said on their official Facebook page. “He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favourite video game from The Rainbow, with his family. “We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.” Kilmister lived a cramped flat in Los Angeles stuffed with memorabilia. Kilmister lived an unwavering life of booze, cigarettes, women, drugs and relentless touring.

“That’s what I always said I wanted to be remembered for, for being honest. Nothing else is worth a damn,” he once said.