Anyone who knows rock music only needs to hear the name “Lemmy” to know who is being talked about: long black hair, mutton chops, handlebar mustache, a couple of big moles, and a voice that was full of gravel, speed, and rock, backed by Jack Daniel’s and an attitude that was best described as a middle finger and a shit-eating grin. Lemmy Kilmister was the driving force behind Motörhead and had a place in the court of rock and roll royalty, along such greats as Ozzy Osbourne and Slayer. His musical career spanned fifty-five years and saw him working along the likes of Noel Redding (the bassist of the Jimi Hendrix Experience), Larry Wallis (UFO), Metallica, Slash, Airbourne, Foo Fighters, and tons more friends from all over. Unfortunately, according to the official Motörhead Facebook page, Lemmy had been diagnosed with an exceptionally aggressive cancer just a couple of days ago and passed on earlier today.

Lemmy’s music influenced many of the bands that are favored by the hot-rodding world. Both Hawkwind (Lemmy’s prior band) and Motörhead influenced a wide, wide array of musicians, from metal acts like Twisted Sister and Mötley Crüe to the likes of Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Joan Jett, and Scott Ian of Anthrax…and that’s just a small portion of the people who were on the documentary film Lemmy! Kilmister’s attitude, low, growling voice and loud, naturally distorted bass playing was groundbreaking and influential in both rock and punk music. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana summed up working with Kilmister as such:

“We recorded his track in Los Angeles in maybe two takes about a year and a half ago. Until then I’d never met what I’d call a real rock ‘n’ roll hero before. F**k Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy’s the king of rock ‘n’ roll – he told me he never considered Motörhead a metal band, he was quite adamant. Lemmy’s a living, breathing, drinking and snorting f**king legend. No one else comes close.”

Living a hard, fast, drug and alcohol-fueled rock and roll lifestyle to the ripe old age of 70 is an achievement, no matter how you look at it. So take a moment on your next ride, crank “Ace of Spades” up as loud as you can and bang a few gears in salute.