Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister’s ashes were placed into bullet casings and distributed to his closest friends.
Confirmation comes via Riki Rachtman, the TV and radio personality best known for his stint hosting MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball.
“Before his death Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets and handed out to his closest friends,” Rachtman wrote in a message posted to social media. “Today I received a bullet and was literally brought to tears.”
Rachtman’s message echoes a similar statement from retired professional tennis player Pat Cash. Back in February of 2020, the former Wimbledon champ posted an image of one of the Lemmy bullets, noting that it had been given to Ugly Kid Joe’s Whitfield Crane.
“Lemmy (RIP) from Motorhead asked that his ashes be put in some bullet and given out to his closest friends,” Cash explained. “Last night one was presented to my mate Whitfield Crane whilst we were having dinner at Lemmy’s bar in ‘The Rainbow.’”
It was the Rainbow – better known as the Rainbow Bar and Grill, located on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip – where Lemmy was remembered on Jan. 9, 2016, just 12 days after his death. Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo, Slash from Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl were among those in attendance. That day, a specially crafted urn held Lemmy’s ashes, designed to look like his famous black cavalry hat.
A letter accompanying the bullets – as displayed in Cash’s Instagram post – included the following message: “We all know Lemmy knew many people, but he had few that he considered friends and even fewer that he considered family. Being that you are one of those people he considered family, we would like to share a little piece of him with you. Lemmy touched all of our lives in a way I don’t think any of us could ever forget, but with these ashes you keep not only the memories you have, you keep Lemmy with you forever. He was Lemmy. He played Rock ‘n’ Roll. Don’t forget him.”