WHAT better way to honour a late friend or relative than by having a tattoo made out of their ashes?
That’s exactly what Metallica frontman James Hetfield has done to pay tribute to fellow rock god, close friend and inspiration Lemmy.
Hetfield has said that without the legendary Motörhead singer and bassist – who died in 2015 – Metallica simply wouldn’t exist.
He has now showed off an Ace of Spades tattoo etched on his middle finger, comprising of ink mixed with “a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me” and based on the band’s iconinc anthem.
The 60-year-old Californian said of the inking, by Corey Miller of LA Ink reality show fame, on Instagram: “A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.
“So now he is still able to fly the bird at the world.”
Lemmy, who was born Ian Fraser Kilmister in Stoke, died in 2015 aged 70 after being diagnosed with cancer.
He was renowned for his hardliving and epic benders, reportedly drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels a day at one stage.
It was only when he was kicked out of previous band Hawkwind following his arrest for drug possession while crossing the US-Canada border that Motörhead were formed.
They went on to make 22 albums and inspire countless bands.
Speaking in 2016 about Lemmy’s death, Hetfield, whose own band has now sold over 100million albums, told Kerrang: “My vision of him was as a statue of a man that was immortal. 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 OK.”
Hetfield’s tattoo is not the only tribute being paid to Lemmy. The erection of a statue in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, where he was born, has been approved, the BBC reports.
Metal festival Bloodstock will also house some of Lemmy’s ashes every year in a specially-commissioned bust where visitors can pay tribute. They will then be on show at Rock City, Nottingham, before returning to the festival in Norfolk every year.