Lemmy Kilmister, the bassist and lead singer for the legendary heavy metal rock group Motorhead, has died. Kilmister, who turned 70 on Christmas Eve, died Monday after a battle with cancer.
The group confirmed Kilmister’s death on Facebook. “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,” the group’s statement read. “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.”
Rolling Stone reports that radio personality Eddie Trunk first reported Kilmister's passing before the group’s post. He called the singer “a true icon of rock.”
Kilmister had been dealing with a series of health issues in recent years. He postponed shows and received a pacemaker in 2013. He also suffered from a hematoma last year. However, he was still able to contribute to Motorhead’s latest album, Bad Magic.
The English bassist was born Ian Kilmister and his career in music began all the way back in the late ‘60s when he was a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His first group was Hawkwind, but they kicked him out in 1975. He went on to form Motorhead and they released their first album in 1977.
His bass playing was a major part of Motorhead singles and the group scored their most influential hit with “Ace of Spades” in 1980. They recorded 22 studio albums, including Bad Magic, which was released in August.
Original Motorhead drummer Phil Taylor died in November.