THE WORLD MOURNS LEMMY (January 2016)

The Motörhead legend’s funeral saw some of rock’s biggest names unite in grief for a lost icon

It just didn’t seem possible. How could a man who was so clearly immortal not be with us any longer? And yet, on December 28, 2015, the news would leave our community at a standstill: Lemmy Kilmister, frontman of Motörhead, lynchpin of rock’n’roll for more than 50 years, had passed away, just two days after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Immediately, there was an outpouring of grief, tribute and celebration of the life of a man who’d lived it to the fullest.

“We lived our lives together and created so much. I’m so grateful for that”, bandmate Mikkey Dee told Hammer. While Motörhead’s career as an active band was now over, Mikkey stressed that they couldn’t have finished things any better. “I’m happy at the way it ended,” he added. “We created a great album to go out with, Black Magic. We finished with a sold-out mega-arena tour. People came from every corner of the world to see the band, and we delivered a show we were all proud of.” Indeed, it was a measure of Lem that his final ever show was just 17 days before he died – December 11, 2015 in Berlin.

The funeral was held on January 9 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood. Streamed live and attracting mass viewings from Los Angeles’ Rainbow Bar And Grill to London’s Big Red, the service saw some truly iconic names gather to pay tribute.

“Lemmy was somebody I just feel so honoured to have been friends with”, offered Slash. “He lived his life the way he wanted to… his music and personality will last forever.” “He made me want to be in a band, be a musician and be part of a crazy travelling rock’n’roll circus”, added Lars Ulrich. WWE legend Triple H noted that Lemmy would want people “happy and celebrating his life”, adding that he was a “beacon of strength and laughter… an inspiration of how to life your life.”

The funeral was closed out by an emotional Dave Grohl, who described Lemmy as “my hero” before explaining that he “was not only that gun-slinging, whisky-drinking, badass rock’n’roll star; he had the biggest heart, and he set such a great example because he was so kind to everyone. People he didn’t know, people he’d loved for years… he was just so kind.”

It’s clear, the only thing that outshone Lemmy the legend was Lemmy the man. There’ll never be another like him.

“LEMMY WAS KIND TO EVERYONE”

DAVE GROHL