Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Memorialized with Hellfest Statue in France

The legendary Motörhead founder and frontman Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister will be forever memorialized with a statue in his likeness, which will enshrine a portion of his ashes, in Clisson, France, home of the annual Hellfest music festival. 

On June 23 an official ceremony at Hellfest, which kicked off on June 17 and concludes on June 26, will celebrate the memorialization of Lemmy with Motörhead bandmates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee in attendance.

Following a performance by the Scorpions, Campbell and Dee will share some words and a video tribute to Lemmy.

The ceremony will recognize Lemmy’s love for touring, the fans, the band’s tight bond to their French audience, and Hellfest, which was always one of Lemmy’s favorite festivals. Motörhead played the first-ever Hellfest and continued to return throughout the years until Kilmister’s death in 2015, the same year the band released their 22nd and final album together, Bad Magic.

In 2011, directors Wes Orshoski and Greg Olliver released Lemmy, a documentary on Kilmister’s life and inspirations—Little Richard, The Beatles—and his rock and roll lifestyle.

The ceremony will also give fans, who can share tributes on social media with the hashtag #LemmyLivesAtHellfest, to participate in their own memorialization of Lemmy and see a miniature replica of the custom urn that houses Lemmy’s ashes at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood California. 

Main Photo: Pep Bonet