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Lemmy Kilmister, legendary frontman of hard rock pioneers Motörhead, has died just two days after learning he had cancer.
The bassist-singer of the British rockers, born Ian Fraser Kilmister but known simply as Lemmy by fans, passed away on Tuesday (AEDT). In a post on Motörhead's Facebook page, the band confirmed the rumours that had swirled on social media for much of the morning.
Lemmy had just turned 70, celebrating his seventh decade on December 24, just four days before his death.
The rock world was in mourning.
Motörhead had been planning a 40th anniversary tour through Europe in January.
Kilmister had recently recovered from a lung infection that saw the band forced to cancel several shows on an American tour.