Watch: LEMMY's ashes delivered to Nottingham's Rock City by convoy of 55 Harley-Davidson bikers
15-08-2024
A group of 55 bikers on Harley-Davidsons delivered a bust containing the ashes of MOTÖRHEAD legend Lemmy Kilmister to Nottingham, United Kingdom’s Rock City on Monday (August 12).
The procession came after the completion of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which commissioned a special bust for Lemmy‘s ashes to be housed in Rock City.
The bust will now remain on display at the venue — where MOTÖRHEAD played 10 shows between 1987 and 2006 — before returning to its primary home at Bloodstock each August.
Amy Lawson, Rock City programmer, said: “We are so excited that the Lemmy bust has arrived at its new home here at Rock City and are honoured that Bloodstock Festival chose our venue to host the bust here between his annual pilgrimage back to their event each year.
“It seems fitting that a bust to celebrate such an iconic trailblazer in rock will stay in a venue which is tied so closely to his musical heritage. We can’t wait to welcome his legions of loyal fans to pay their respects to the icon.”
Bloodstock festival co-director Vicky Hungerford, who attended the handover on Monday, said: “It’s been a very emotional weekend for all involved in the ‘Lemmy Forever’ tribute at Bloodstock. The send-off today with 55 Harley Davidsons taking the bust to rock city in the Bloodstock truck was the finale to a superb weekend of tributes to our rock god Lem.
“The fact people can now see the bust and his ashes at the iconic rock city, is superb and we cannot think of a better venue considering MOTÖRHEAD played there numerous times! I’m sure many people will want to pay tribute over the coming months.”
A recreation of Lemmy‘s dressing room was available for viewing at this year’s Bloodstock Open Air festival. Fans attending the festival were not only able to pay their respects at the specially created bust containing Lemmy‘s ashes, but see a whole host of genuine personal items, including his iconic hat, boots, bass guitar and hand-drawn pictures, as well as handwritten lyrics, dressing room paraphernalia, and a never-seen-before selection of his personal photos.
This past March, MOTÖRHEAD‘s manager Todd Singerman said in a statement: “Bloodstock has always been a special place for MOTÖRHEAD and for Lemmy. The people and the energy matched Lemmy‘s values perfectly. Alan and Vicky were also great friends and basically family of Lemmy, as he was the reason that they originally got together. This is definitely a fitting honor in the continuing series of enshrinements of Lemmy‘s ashes in his most loved places.”
Vicky Hungerford added: “We were humbled and honored 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 honor his legacy and have Lemmy forever at Bloodstock.”
Back in November 2016, Rainbow Bar & Grill dedicated its patio to Lemmy and re-named it “Lemmy’s Lounge.” It was a fitting gesture from the Rainbow, as when Lemmy wasn’t touring or recording, the majority of his waking hours were spent on said patio. There was already a life-size bronze statue immortalizing Lemmy at the Rainbow, which attracts fans from all over the world, and Lemmy’s Lounge allows hardcore fans and casual patrons alike to sample the wares and atmosphere that Lemmy loved so much.
To celebrate Lemmy’s Lounge, Roxy owner Nic Adler and Goldenvoice‘s Paul Tollett kindly agreed to allow the painting of a celebratory mural commemorating the life of Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD on the side wall of the Roxy, opposite Lemmy’s Lounge and statue.
According to Visit West Hollywood, Lemmy loved the Rainbow so much that he moved to West Hollywood to be closer to it. In the last two decades of his life, he was a daily fixture at the Rainbow whenever the band was not on tour, and he was often seen playing the bar’s video poker machine.
Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.
MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy‘s poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.
In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, “Lemmy”, will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, “Lemmy”.
A custom-made urn containing Lemmy‘s ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
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