LEMMY's Ashes To Be Enshrined At West Hollywood's Rainbow Bar & Grill Next Month

On Friday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m., the ashes of MOTÖRHEAD's legendary frontman Lemmy Kilmister will be enshrined at West Hollywood, California's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip. Fans are also invited "to raise a very unique toast to Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD with the unveiling of brand new Motörhead Whiskey," according to a social media post from the Rainbow.

Back in November 2016, Rainbow Bar & Grill dedicated its patio to Lemmy and re-named it "Lemmy's Lounge." It was a fitting gesture from the Rainbow, as when Lemmy wasn't touring or recording, the majority of his waking hours were spent on said patio. There was already a life-size bronze statue immortalizing Lemmy at the Rainbow, which attracts fans from all over the world, and Lemmy's Lounge allows hardcore fans and casual patrons alike to sample the wares and atmosphere that Lemmy loved so much.

To celebrate Lemmy's Lounge, Roxy owner Nic Adler and Goldenvoice's Paul Tollett kindly agreed to allow the painting of a celebratory mural commemorating the life of Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD on the side wall of the Roxy, opposite Lemmy's Lounge and statue.

According to Visit West Hollywood, Lemmy loved the Rainbow so much that he moved to West Hollywood to be closer to it. In the last two decades of his life, he was a daily fixture at the Rainbow whenever the band was not on tour, and he was often seen playing the bar's video poker machine.

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

In a 2015 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Lemmy was asked how it makes him feel when people call him a legend. He responded: "As long as they don't believe it, that's alright." He continued: "Who wouldn’t want a hero somewhere in their lives? And it might as well be me, 'cause I don't take the piss out of them for it, and I don't laugh at them because of it." But he added, "I'm not a legend. I never thought of myself as being special in particular. Maybe I make brilliant music, but that's about it."

As previously reported, Lemmy will be permanently memorialized at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom. Some of Lemmy's ashes will be housed at Bloodstock — one of only a few places globally — in a unique urn, with the festival commissioning a bust of Lemmy to incorporate the ashes. Fans will be able to view the installation and pay tribute to Lemmy and his legacy in the RAM Gallery on site. Once the festival is over, the bust of Lemmy will move to Nottingham's Rock City venue, where fans will have access to the ashes; they will return each and every year to their primary home on the hallowed turf of Bloodstock at Catton Park.