Lemmy continued to record and tour regularly with Motörhead until his death on 28 December 2015 in Los Angeles, where he had lived since 1990. The band's success peaked around 19, including the hit single " Ace of Spades" and the chart-topping live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith. In 1975, he was fired from Hawkwind after an arrest for drug possession. He worked as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and The Nice before joining the space rock band Hawkwind in 1971, singing lead vocals on their hit " Silver Machine". He was influenced by rock and roll and the early works of the Beatles, which led to him playing in several rock groups in the 1960s, such as the Rockin' Vickers. Lemmy was born in Stoke-on-Trent and grew up between there, the nearby towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Madeley, and later the Welsh village of Benllech, at a later point, Lemmy remembers living briefly at Gwrych Castle, Abergele. Another notable aspect of his bass sound was that he often played power chords using heavily overdriven tube stacks by Marshall. He was also known for his bass playing style and using his Rickenbacker bass to create an "overpowered, distorted rhythmic rumble". He was also noted for his unique way of singing, which was once described as "looking up towards a towering microphone tilted down into his weather-beaten face". It was once declared "one of the most recognisable voices in rock". Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy, was an English musician who was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member.Ī foundational force in the genre following the advent of the new wave of British heavy metal, Lemmy was known for his appearance, which included his signature friendly mutton chops, his military-influenced fashion sense and his gravelly rasp of a voice.