Lars Ulrich of Metallica has never been shy about his reverence for Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead. After receiving the news of Kilmister passing away two days ago, Ulrich wrote a eulogy of more than 2,000 words for Rolling Stone adamantly affirming that his deep admiration of Kilmister was not misplaced. Among many notable quotes, Ulrich had this to say about Kilmister:

When I say that Lemmy is the primary reason that I’m in a band to this day, and that Metallica exists because of him, it’s not some cheap exaggeration. It really was. They took me in, they let me be a part of what they were doing, and it inspired James [Hetfield] and I to form this band based on that kind of attitude and that kind of aesthetic of engaging with your fans and being open and transparent and letting people in and sharing the experience.

Read the eulogy in its entirety at Rolling Stone.