Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister dies at 70

Motorhead frontman Ian ‘Lemmy' Kilmister has died aged 70, just two days after learning he had cancer, the Daily Mail reported.

A statement issued on Motorhead's official Facebook page revealed the veteran rocker only learnt he had the disease on Boxing Day, two days after his 70th birthday.

The post read: “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.

“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 it’s way down the street, with his family.

“We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.

“We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please…play Motorhead loud, play

“Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few.”

Tributes have poured in for the rock icon from well-known artists and figures within the rock and metal community following his death on Monday.

Sharon Osborne tweeted: “My dear friend, Lemmy, passed away today. I've known him for 38 years. He will be so missed but he will never be forgotten.'

While musician Billy Idol posted: 'Lemmy RIP.... @mymotorhead my condolences to his family..'

Ozzy Osborne 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.'

The news was originally broken by respected rock DJ Eddie Trunk via a series of posts on his Twitter account.

His post read: "Sorry to report that I have confirmed Lemmy @mymotorhead has passed away
just now at the age of 70. RIP to a true original icon of rock."

He followed it with: "Sadly this news is 100% confirmed and just happened. Let's celebrate a true rock warrior and icon who gave us timeless music! #RIPLemmy."
 

The musician, who suffered from diabetes, had been plagued with health problems in recent times and the band were forced to postpone a string of shows earlier this year.

Famous for his hard-rocking lifestyle and love of Jack Daniels, Lemmy had struggled to quit his vices in his later years, according to the band's manager Todd Singerman.

In an interview with Decibel magazine last year, he revealed: 'He’s been up and down — he’s got a really bad diabetic problem and it changes on a daily basis.

“A lot of it is fighting the bad habits, the things he’s not supposed to do any more. He’s stopped smoking, but he probably sneaks Jack and Coke here and there — he’d be lying if he said he’d stopped.'

Hours before appearing at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Brazil in April, Lemmy was reportedly taken ill with gastric distress and dehydration.

And in 2013, the band were forced to postpone shows in Italy and Austria after Lemmy suffered a haematoma.

In the same year the rock stalwart was fitted with a defibrillator to correct heart problems.
Motorhead were set to tour the UK in January in support of their 23rd album 'Bad Magic', which was released in August of this year.

In June, the band graced Glastonbury festival for the first time in their 40-year history, playing a triumphant afternoon set on the Pyramid Stage.

Lemmy, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent on Christmas Eve 1945, founded Motorhead in 1975 after being fired from previous band Hawkwind.