Ashes of Motörhead icon Lemmy to be shared at significant locations in Nottingham and LA
A bust of the heavy icon is set to appear at Bloodstock Festival and will incorporate his ashes.
By Nick Reilly
The ashes of late Motörhead icon Lemmy Kilmister are to be housed at locations in Nottingham, Los Angeles and more that held a special significance for the legendary star.
The pioneering musician, one of heavy metal’s most celebrated figures, died in 2015 aged 70, not long after he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Over eight years later, it has now been confirmed that Kilmister’s ashes will be housed at Nottingham’s Rock City music venue, as well as Bloodstock music festival.
The new initiative is led by Bloodstock and comes after the festival commissioned a bust of the star that will feature some of his ashes. The finished installation will be seen by fans at this year’s Bloodstock, which takes place in Derbyshire from August 8-11.
After the festival, the bust will be permanently moved to Rock City – the celebrated Nottingham venue where Motörhead played ten shows from 1987 to 2006.
In addition, more of Lemmy’s ashes will be displayed at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood next month – which was the singer’s favourite watering hole.
An induction will take place on April 19, with fans invited “to raise a very unique toast to Lemmy and Motörhead with the unveiling of brand new Motörhead Whiskey.”
“We are honoured to house the Lemmy Bust and we can’t wait to have fans from all over the world be able to pay their respects to one of the gods of rock inside our venue walls,” a statement from Rock City said. “Tying in such a figurehead of rock with our venue’s history is fitting and we’re delighted the Bloodstock team asked us to give a home to the Lemmy bust between his annual pilgrimage back to their festival each year.”
Vicky Hungerford, Bloodstock’s Festival Director, added: “We were humbled and honoured to be approached by Motörhead management to have Lemmy’s ashes at Bloodstock. Lemmy holds a very special place in everybody’s heart, but to myself and my husband, he was the reason we met and fell in love. Nothing will mean more to us and the Bloodstock family than to honour his legacy and have Lemmy forever at Bloodstock.”
It’s far from the first creative use of the late star’s ashes. Last summer, Lemmy’s remains were also scattered in the mud of Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival, to recognise Motörhead’s multiple shows there. In addition, Motörhead’s tour manager and production assistant also previously had the ashes put inside tattoos, while the man himself requested that his ashes were placed inside bullets and sent to his friends and family.
Late last year, the group’s drummer Mikey Dee also confirmed they would never reunite without Lemmy at the helm.