Classic Motörhead guitarist Eddie Clarke passes away

Motörhead’s former guitarist Eddie 'Fast' Clarke passed away on Wednesday, January 10. The cause of death of the 67-year-old musician is called pneumonia.

Clarke was a member of Motörhead from 1976 until 1982, being one of the three musicians of the band's classic lineup, which also included drummer Philthy 'Animal' Taylor, who died of liver failure in November 2015, and vocalist Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, who succumbed to cancer the following month.

Clarke, Taylor, and Kilmister recorded together 5 albums: 1977’s self-titled debut "Motörhead", 1979’s "Overkill" and "Bomber", 1980’s "Ace Of Spades", and 1982’s "Iron Fist".

Motörhead posted the following message on their Facebook page:

"We are devastated to pass on the news we only just heard ourselves earlier tonight... Edward Allan Clarke — or as we all know and love him Fast Eddie Clarke — passed away peacefully yesterday. Ted Carroll (who formed Chiswick Records) made the sad announcement via his [Facebook] page, having heard from Doug Smith that Fast Eddie passed peacefully in hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. Fast Eddie... keep roaring, rockin' and rollin' up there as goddamit man, your Motörfamily would expect nothing less!!!"

Motörhead’s guitarist Phil Campbell said: "Just heard the sad news that Fast Eddie Clarke has passed away. Such a shock. He will be remembered for his iconic riffs and was a true rock 'n' roller. RIP Eddie."

Motörhead’s drummer Mikkey Dee added: "Oh my fucking god, this is terrible news, the last of the three amigos. I saw Eddie not too long ago and he was in great shape. So this is a complete shock. Me and Eddie always hit it off great. I was looking forward to seeing him in the U.K. this summer when we come around with the [Scorpions]… now Lem and Philthy can jam with Eddie again, and if you listen carefully, I'm sure you'll hear them, so watch out!!! My thoughts go out to Eddie's family and close ones."

Clarke left Motörhead in 1982 while on tour in the United States and was replaced by Thin Lizzy’s guitarist Brian Robertson.