Lemmy had his ashes put in bullets and given to his closest friends, because he was Lemmy f*cking Kilmister

Lemmy from Motorhead
(Image credit: Future)

For many, Lemmy was already the epitome of rock'n'roll. Now, it has been revealed that the Motorhead frontman had his ashes placed in bullets and given to his closest friends — and you can’t get more rock'n'roll than that. 

The news was revealed by Riki Rachtman, back-in-the-day host of MTV show Headbangers Ball. On Monday 22, Rachtman shared a photo of the bullet via his social media. The casing has been engraved with the name ‘Lemmy’ and placed on a black cushion in a transparent box. He captioned the post: “Before his death #Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets & handed out to his closest friends. Today, I received a bullet & was literally brought to tears. Thank you, @myMotorhead.”

Prior to Rachtman, last year former professional tennis player Pat Cash had also posted an image of one of the bullets, which was originally sent to Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane. Cash wrote, “#Lemmy (RIP) from #Motörhead asked that his ashes be put in some bullet and given out to his closest friends, last night one was presented to my mate #whitefieldCrane whilst we were having dinner at ‘Lemmys bar’ in The Rainbow."

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Lemmy died on December 28, 2015, at age 70 from prostate cancer and heart failure. Tributes to the legendary frontman have come in a variety of forms since his passing. Earlier this year Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl revealed that their 2021 single No Son Of Mine was inspired by the singer, stating: “I wish Lemmy were alive to hear it, because he would see how much an influence he's been to me.” More recently, King Crimson leader and Toyah shared their rendition of Motorhead’s Ace Of Spades as part of their ongoing Sunday Lunch performance series.

Later this month, Motorhead will be releasing a new live album alongside a concert film, titled Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin. Recorded on December 5, 2012, the material was taken during the band’s Kings Of The Road Tour.

Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

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