- Last resting place at a heavy metal festival
On December 28, 2015, one of the greatest cultural icons of the rock world, and one of its most eccentric figures, Lemmy Kilmister (1945-2015), passed away. Nearly a decade later, the farewell party for the legendary Motörhead frontman shows no signs of ending, something that would have surely pleased the festive and hard-partying musician. Keeping the party going is an urn containing his ashes, which has been taken to various places where Kilmister enjoyed himself during his lifetime.
Rock Ashes in Bullet Shells
At an official burial of his mortal remains on January 9, 2016, at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, only a part of his ashes were interred. The rest, per his wishes, was filled into bullet shells and sent as keepsakes to musician friends. His long-time tour manager Eddie Rocha and Metallica singer James Hetfield (61) got tattoos with the late musician's ashes mixed into the ink.
Final Resting Place: Rainbow Bar and Grill
Another part of these ashes was filled into an urn that has been on a sort of tour ever since. Last year, it made a stop at the Wacken Open Air festival, where a part of it found its final resting place. In April of this year, another part remained at Kilmister's favorite hangout, "The Rainbow Bar and Grill" on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
Next Tour Stop: Bloodstock Festival
The next stop on this memorable farewell tour is the Bloodstock Open Air festival in the English village of Walton-on-Trent. As reported by Sky News, the cult urn will be personally brought to the heavy metal festival, which takes place from August 8 to 11, by Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell (63). There, it will be exhibited alongside memorabilia, previously unseen photos, and a replica of the singer's dressing room. As usual, a part of the ashes will remain permanently on the festival grounds.
Phil Campbell, who will give a speech at the music spectacle on Friday, told Sky News that the event is a "great opportunity" to remember his friend, who was a "true pioneer" of rock music. "People can go and share their thoughts with Lem, or do whatever they want," said the musician. "Or they can shout and scream at him because he plays too loud. I've done that often enough."
After the mandatory burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a significant portion of Lemmy Kilmister's ashes were transformed into bullet shells and distributed as keepsakes to his musician friends. During the Wacken Open Air festival in 2023, another part of his urn was temporarily housed, finding its final resting place among the festivities.
