Motorhead's Lemmy Immortalised By 6ft Statue At His Favourite Bar

Motorhead's Lemmy Immortalised By 6ft Statue At His Favourite Bar
|

Motorhead frontman Lemmy has been immortalised in a new life-size statue at his favourite Los Angeles bar.

Dozens of fans gathered to watch the unveiling of the 6ft bronze sculpture at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip.

The monument was built after a crowd-funding campaign raised more than 22,000 dollars (£16,600) following Lemmy's death in December.

His girlfriend Cheryl Keuleman and Motorhead's long-time manager Todd Singerman were among those to pay tribute to the Ace of Spades singer.

Singerman, who managed Motorhead from 1992 until the group disbanded after Lemmy's death, said he believed the Stoke-born rock star would be "extremely proud" of his statue.

He told the Press Association: "I look at him no differently than Johnny Cash, The Beatles and so on.

"He was real. He didn't b******t. The way he went on stage was the way he was at home. Go find that today."

Fans chanted Lemmy's name and posed for photographs with the statue after it was unveiled, as Motorhead's most recognised song, Ace Of Spades, was played loudly over the bar's sound system.

Lemmy's girlfriend Cheryl Keuleman said the Rainbow Bar was a fitting location to honour him because it was his "favourite place in the world".

She told the Press Association: "The Rainbow was Lemmy's home.

"One of Lemmy's worst fears was that when he died, the world would forget about him. He's now immortal. No one ever will forget about him because he was a god. He was a man, but he was a god."

Artist Travis Moore, who created the sculpture, said about 20 people worked on the statue and it took around five months to build.

"I think it looks a lot like him. It's a compelling image," he said.

"I think it will offer some closure. I think Lemmy is finally home."

Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Kilmister, died just two days after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer on Boxing Day. The musician had celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve.

He died at his Los Angeles home on December 28, little more than a month after the death of Motorhead's first drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor.

Some of rock's biggest names lined up to pay tribute to Lemmy at a star-studded Hollywood funeral in January.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and Metallica members Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo attended the service, which was broadcast live on YouTube and watched by more than 280,000 Motorhead fans around the world.