Metallica frontman used Motorhead legend’s ashes for tattoo

James Hetfield’s new ace of spades tribute was drawn with ink mixed with the remains of Lemmy Kilmister

Metallica co-founder and frontman James Hetfield has shown off a new tattoo dedicated to fellow metal icon Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. The ink used in the design, according to Hetfield, features the actual remains of the late rockstar.

In an Instagram post on Metallica’s official account on Wednesday, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist shared a picture of his new ace-of-spades tattoo etched on his middle finger, with the caption: “A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”

The design, drawn by tattoo artist Corey Miller, was made using black ink mixed with “a pinch of [Kilmister’s] cremation ashes,” that Hetfield said were “graciously given” to him after the Motorhead founder passed away from cancer in 2015 at the age of 70. 

“So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world,” the post concluded.

Kilmister, often simply referred to as Lemmy, founded Motorhead in 1975 and became a household name in the rock world, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of British heavy metal.

With Motorhead, Lemmy released a total of 22 albums, which featured some of the most iconic metal hits of the era, including the songs Overkill and Bomber (1979), Ace of Spades (1980) and Killed by Death (1984).

Motorhead has widely been cited as the inspiration for many other successful metal bands, including Metallica, whose members have often spoken about the influence of Motorhead on their own sound and style of playing.

Following Kilmister’s sudden death, just two days after being diagnosed with cancer, many musicians paid tribute to the rock icon, including Hetfield, who described him as “a godfather” of heavy metal.

In 2016, Lemmy’s fans launched a petition to name a newly discovered heavy metal element in the periodic table in honor of the musician, dubbing it ‘Lemmium.’ The petition gained over 156,000 signatures, but scientists ultimately rejected the appeal, explaining that chemical elements could be named only after a “mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.”