Metallica’s James Hetfield inked his homage to the late Lemmy Kilmister, mixing friendship and ashes into a tattoo tribute.
In the snap, Hetfield flashed his middle finger with flair and made a face, all while clutching what seemed to be a clear trinket box, which presumably held Lemmy’s ashes in his other hand.
“With the steady hand of friend and tattoo artist @coreymillertattoo, this tattoo,” Hetfield wrote on Metallica’s Instagram alongside the image.“A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”
“Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me,” Hetfield added. “So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world. #lemmy #aceofspades #borntolose #livetowin.”
The tattoo showcases an ace of spades, encircled by a design inspired by Motörhead’s iconic 1980 hit, “Ace of Spades.”
“So honoured to do that tattoo,” tattoo artist Corey Miller wrote in the comments section. Meanwhile, a fan added, “this is probably one of the most Metal thing of all time!”
James Hetfield Described Lemmy as a ‘Godfather’
Lemmy Kilmister, the iconic founder of Motörhead in 1975, passed away in December 2015 at the age of 70. In a Facebook post at the time, Motörhead announced that the lead vocalist, whose real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister, succumbed to an aggressive form of cancer just days after his diagnosis.
Lemmy was well known for flipping the bird both onstage and in press photos, no doubt adding to James Hetfield’s decision to ink his own middle finger in tribute.
In January 2016, rock legends, close companions, and family convened in Los Angeles for a memorial service to honor Lemmy Kilmister. Held at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Hollywood, the ceremony featured heartfelt tributes from the band and friends, including Guns N’ Roses’ Slash celebrating Lemmy’s remarkable life and career.
That same year, James Hetfield opened up about how the loss of Lemmy affected him.
“My vision of him was as a statue of a man that was immortal,” he told Kerrang! at the time. “When he passed it scared me, like, ‘Where’s our captain now?’ He’s been a godfather to us. There’s no doubt that without him there wouldn’t be a Metallica. When he was around, it just felt like things were going to be okay.”