Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister Dead At 70

Lemmy Kilmister (Facebook)

There will be an empty seat at the SUNSET STRIP's RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL. LEMMY KILMISTER, the godfather of amphetamine-driven heavy metal as founder of MOTORHEAD, has passed away after a series of health setbacks.  He had just turned 70 on CHRISTMAS EVE.

Metal radio and TV host EDDIE TRUNK, a longtime friend, first reported his death, while several others have since confirmed, including OZZY OSBOURNE, who tweeted, "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.”

Expect an official announcement tomorrow.

The cause of death is unknown, though LEMMY had been plagued by several health issues, including hematoma and an irregular heartbeat, for which he was fitted with an implanted defibrillator.

IAN FRASER "LEMMY" KILMEISTER was born on CHRISTMAS EVE in STAFFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND and became a musician after seeing THE BEATLES in concert.  He played in a variety of bands, including THE RAINMAKERS, THE MOTOWN SECT, THE ROCKIN VICKERS, SAM GOPAL and the OPAL BUTTERFLY, before serving as a roadie for the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE.

In 1972, he joined the UK art-rock space group HAWKWIND as bass-player, despite having no previous experience on the instrument, playing on albums like "Space Ritual," singing on the U.K. hit, "Silver Machine."

LEMMY formed MOTORHEAD in 1975 as the band's lead vocalist, bassist, songwriter and only constant member, releasing 20 studio albums with 30 million in sales worldwide.

The band's mesh of punk and metal inspired bands from METALLICA to GUNS N' ROSES to FOO FIGHTERS with classic albums such as "Ace Of Spades," "Orgasmatron" and "Rock N' Roll," receiving a GRAMMY for Best Metal Performance in 2004 for their cover of METALLICA's "Whiplash" for a tribute CD.

LEMMY was an unabashed rocker who never hesitated to tell of his fondness for drugs. He was fired from HAWKWIND after being arrested at the CANADIAN border for  possession. LEMMY insisted he had drunk a bottle of JACK DANIELS every day since turning 30 and was an outspoken advocate of speed.

As an actor, LEMMY made cameos in films such as "Airheads," "Hardware," "Eat The Rich," and played a driver in the FOO FIGHTERS' video, "White Limo." A documentary, "LEMMY," came out in 2010.

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