Ex-MOTÖRHEAD Drummer MIKKEY DEE: I'd Rather Celebrate LEMMY's Life Than Mourn His Death

Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" conducted an interview with former MOTÖRHEAD and current SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee at last Friday's (October 6) "Bowl For Ronnie" event in Studio City, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how he dealt with the 2015 passing of MOTÖRHEAD legend Lemmy Kilmister, Dee said: "Well, I've gotta tell you, a lot of people called it a disaster. I don't. I know Lemmy — I knew him so well — and this might sound really weird, but I'd rather celebrate his life than mourn his death. Lemmy was very satisified with his life, and he got to turn seventy years of age. He was a happy camper. Of course, I would love for him to be around, but he had a great life. A disaster is when young people pass, or kids [die] in accidents. Lemmy had a great seventy years of his way or the highway, and I'd rather smile when I think about it.

"I was up yesterday [at the cemetery] to visit both Lemmy and Ronnie [James Dio], and my good friend Jimmy Bain [late DIO bassist] as well… Yeah, I celebrate their life. These two guys, rock and roll was their life and they were happy guys. Ronnie passed a little too early, and that was more like, you know, 'What happened?' But Lemmy, he felt more prepared. And I would have loved for him to have been around another twenty years, of course, like we all would, but he had a great life. And he told me when he was fifty, 'If I die tomorrow, Mik, I lived a perfect life.'"

Asked why he thinks the world embraced Lemmy like it did, Dee said: "I don't think — I know. He was real. He was the real deal. There wasn't a fake bone in his body. And he never compromised his living or his vision or his way of life. It was his way, or our way, or MOTÖRHEAD way, or he wasn't interested."

Lemmy, who celebrated his seventieth birthday on December 24, 2015, learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, 2015, at his home in Los Angeles.

The MOTÖRHEAD frontman had dealt with several health issues over the past few years, including heart trouble, forcing him to cut back on his famous smoking and Jack Daniels habits.

The band canceled a number of shows two years ago, although they did manage to complete one final European tour on December 11, 2015.

MOTÖRHEAD released a covers compilation album, "Under Cöver" — a collection of some of the band's best covers — on September 1.