James Hetfield Gets Middle Finger Tattooed With Lemmy Kilmister’s Ashes
James Hetfield loved Motörhead. The legendary hard rockers were a profound influence on Metallica, and after Hetfield’s band rose to fame, Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister became a personal friend. Now, that multifaceted love has been commemorated in a way that feels a bit on-the-nose. Or more literally on-the-finger, I guess.
Today Metallica’s Instagram revealed a photo of Hetfield flashing a new tattoo on his middle finger. It’s an ace of spades, a callback to Motörhead’s signature song “Ace Of Spades,” and some of Kilmister’s ashes are mixed in with the ink. Yes.
“With the steady hand of friend and tattoo artist @coreymillertattoo, this tattoo. A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica,” Hetfield writes in the caption. “Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me. So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world.”
This Friday night, the rest of Lemmy’s ashes will be enshrined at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the West Hollywood watering hole where he used to spend most of his leisure time. The event will also feature the unveiling of Motörhead Whiskey. There are also plans to erect a statue of Kilmister in his hometown of Burslem, UK.
