Wendy Dio has revealed that she paid Lemmy a visit two hours before the Motörhead leader died.
The singer/bassist – known for his signature rasp and colossal bass sound on such songs as Ace Of Spades, Overkill and Iron Fist – passed away on December 28, 2015: four days after his 70th birthday and two after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In a new interview with Rocktails With Ahmet Zappa, Dio, the widow of former Black Sabbath and Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, says she went to see Lemmy on the day of his death at the urging of his manager, Todd Singerman.
Lemmy’s doctor, Sandeep Kapoor, was one of Ronnie’s doctors before the singer died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, aged 67.
“[Todd] said, ‘Can you bring Sandy over? ’Cause he’s not feeling good,’” Wendy remembers (via Blabbermouth). “So we went over there. And he was talking away.”
Wendy adds that she bought Lemmy, a known collector of World War II-era German military paraphernalia, two antique books as a belated birthday present.
“I had bought him some old German books that I found that he was very into,” she says. “And these were old antique books that I'd found – war books. And he thanked me for those.”
With Lemmy’s girlfriend present, Wendy and Lemmy “sat and talked for a while”, before the Motörhead man said, “I’m a bit tired. I’m gonna lay down.” Wendy left and, while walking around a shopping mall shortly after, was told by Singerman over the phone that Lemmy had passed.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she remembers. “I walked around, around in circles. I didn’t know. It was just unbelievable. I was just talking to him, like, two hours before. It was horrible.”
Later in the interview, Wendy describes Lemmy as an “introverted” character, despite his gruff, rock’n’roll public persona. “He was very introverted,” she says. “So is [Black Sabbath bassist] Geezer Butler. They’re introverted people. They’re lovely people. But they really are kind of introverted. But when you know them, they’re just sweet, wonderful people.”
Surviving Motörhead members Phil Campbell (guitars) and Mikkey Dee (drums) dissolved the band almost immediately after Lemmy’s death. They now perform in Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons and Scorpions, respectively.
A 2.25m statue of Lemmy was recently erected in his birthplace of Burslem in Stoke-On-Trent. Created by sculptor and Motörhead fan Andy Edwards, it was put up in Market Place in the town centre on May 9. Stoke-On-Trent Lord Mayor Lyn Sharpe said in tribute, “Lemmy was one of us.”
