London: Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, the hell-raising frontman of iconic British heavy metal band Motorhead, has died aged 70 of a sudden, aggressive cancer, the group said on Tuesday.

The gravel-voiced veteran, one of rock and roll’s great survivors despite a hard-partying lifestyle, was diagnosed with cancer on Saturday—two days after his 70th birthday—and died on Monday.

A godfather figure in heavy rock music, the singer and bass player with the band dubbed the world’s loudest was the embodiment of rock and roll excess.

‘Our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer,’ the band said on their official Facebook page.

‘He had learnt of the disease on 26 December, and was at home, sitting in front of his favourite video game from The Rainbow, with his family.

‘We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.’

Kilmister lived a cramped flat in Los Angeles stuffed with memorabilia. He was typically to be found inside the nearby Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Strip, playing a fruit machine.

He is considered a heavy metal pioneer—though he always insisted Motorhead was a rock and roll band—and cut an iconic figure, with his mutton chop sideburns, long hair, prominent facial warts, black hat and black shirt.

Kilmister lived an unwavering life of booze, cigarettes, women, drugs and relentless touring.

‘That’s what I always said I wanted to be remembered for, for being honest. Nothing else is worth a damn,’ he once said.

‘Born to lose, lived to win’ -

The band said in their statement: ‘We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please play Motorhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music loud. Have a drink or few. Share stories.

‘Celebrate the life this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself. He would want exactly that.

‘Born to lose, lived to win,’ they added.

His death comes a month after that of Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor, the band’s former drummer, who was 61.

Kilmister was born in Stoke-on-Trent in central England on 24 December, 1945 and grew up on the Welsh island of Anglesey.

He was a roadie for legendary US guitarist Jimi Hendrix and was in the space-rock band Hawkwind, singing their best-known song, ‘Silver Machine’. He was sacked after a drugs bust and founded Motorhead in 1975.

Motorhead’s classic hit was the 1980 song ‘Ace of Spades’ and the band released more than 20 studio albums.