Many in the entertainment industry have come out to speak on the death of Lemmy Kilmister following his death at 70. Penelope Spheeris, who documented L.A. metal in the 1988 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, Spheeris had her first opportunity to interact with Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and the filmmaker remembered the "Ace of Spades" singer.
Kilmister was initially from England, but decided to make his name in Los Angeles during the glam metal hey-day, where he caught up with Spheeris on camera. In The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years Kilmister gives the most poignant interview in the entire film, over interviews with desperate wannabees, he offered an honest view of rock n' roll.
When asked how Lenny was different than other rock stars she interviewed in the film Spheeris said to Billboard, "Lenny was totally 'what you see is what you get.' He laughed when we asked if he wanted make-up. You never had to wonder, 'Is he telling the truth?' He brought the term 'no BS' to new heights."
According to Spheeris, Kilmister was in full support of the film, saying, "Of course he was, or he wouldn't have done it. I don't think Lemmy would ever do anything he didn't want to do. Interestingly, when Anna (my daughter/producer) and I went on tour screening The Decline movies recently, so many people pointed out that Lemmy was ironically the 'voice of reason' in Decline II. Maybe that's just because everyone else was so 'out there.'"
Kilmister's disease progressing from diagnosis to death in record time, as he first found out that he had cancer on Dec. 26 and died Dec. 28. News of his death was first announced in a tweet from radio and TV personality Eddie Trunk. Ozzy Osbourne followed up with his condolences soon after. The band then confirmed the news on their official Facebook page. Reportedly, Kilmister had also been suffering from a hematoma and was using an implantable defibrillator while on tour.
