Metallica's James Hetfield unveils new tattoo with Lemmy's ashes as a tribute

Metallica's lead vocalist, James Hetfield, has unveiled a new tattoo dedicated to Lemmy, as a tribute to the legendary rocker's impact on the band. The tattoo, a black spade, was inked onto Hetfield's middle finger. Hetfield stated that it is, “Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me. So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world.”

Metallica has always credited Lemmy Kilmister, the late frontman of Motörhead, as a significant influence on their music and career. Following Lemmy's passing in 2015, Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have stated previously that Mötörhead were the inspiration behind Metallica's formation.

The Hetfield wrote on Instagram: “With the steady hand of friend and tattoo artist @coreymillertattoo, this tattoo. A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”

 

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The tattoo was completed by Corey Miller, a tattoo artist and owner of the tattoo shop Six Feet Under in Upland, California.

Lemmy, born Ian Fraser Kilmister, rose to fame as a member of the British space-rock band Hawkwind before founding Motörhead.

Motörhead achieved significant success in the early 1980s with multiple singles reaching the UK Top 40 chart. Albums like Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, and the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith cemented Motörhead as a prominent rock band. They also hold the 26th position on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.