The rock world is in mourning after hearing that Motorhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke has died at the age of 67.
The official Facebook page for the group, whose music was instrumental in the rise of heavy metal, has posted a statement confirming that the British musician “passed away peacefully” after being hospitalised with pneumonia.
“Keep roaring, rockin' and rollin' up there as goddamit man, your Motörfamily would expect nothing less!!!” says the message.
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Clarke was the last surviving member of the band’s classic line-up, which included frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.
In November 2015, Taylor died at the age of 61 from liver failure.
Kilmister, who founded Motorhead in 1975 and fronted the band for the next 40 years, died just over a month later on 28 December 2015.
The band’s co-founders, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox, are still alive. The pair left the band a few months after its formation and were replaced by Clarke and Taylor.
Clarke’s guitar playing can be heard on iconic Motorhead albums, such as Overkill, Bomber, Ace Of Spades and Iron Fist, as well as on the band’s self-titled 1977 debut Motorhead.
The musician’s dissatisfaction with Iron Fist led to his departure from the group in 1982 to form his own band, Fastway, The Independent reports.
Motorhead continued to perform in various incarnations until Kilmister’s death in 2015, but the 1977-1982 period is still considered the band’s “vintage” period. This is when it produced its best-known hit, the 1980s album Ace of Spades.
Motorhead fans and fellow musicians paid tribute to Clarke on social media, led by his former band:
