Motorhead’s Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor Remembered by Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash + Others

The sudden death of two-time Motorhead member Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor continues to send emotional shockwaves through the rock community. A number of fellow music stars, including Taylor's longtime bandmate Lemmy Kilmister, are paying tribute to the fallen drummer.

"I'm feeling very sad at the moment – in fact, devastated – because one of my best friends died yesterday," Lemmy said, via Facebook. "I miss him already [...] [I]t really pisses me off that they take somebody like him and leave George Bush alive. So, muse on that."

Ozzy Osbourne, also posting on Facebook, called Taylor's passing "a terrible, terrible loss. He was a great friend, great drummer, a great guy and he will be dearly missed. Today is a very sad day for me."

Then, Ozzy added one more thing:

Taylor, who was just 61, appeared on classic albums like 1979's Overkill and 1980's Ace of Spades during tenures with Motorhead that lasted from 1975-84 and from 1987-92. His most recent recordings with the group were on March Or Die, though Taylor did reunite briefly with Lemmy on stage late last year.

"Fast" Eddie Clarke, also a former Motorhead member, confirmed Taylor's death on Wednesday (Nov. 11), and that he had been suffering from a lengthy illness.

Fellow musicians Slash, Dave Mustaine and Mike Portnoy have since taken to Twitter to express their condolences:

This isn't the first member of Motorhead to pass, as Lemmy reminds. Michael "Würzel" Burston, guitarist from 1984–95, died of heart disease in 2011. Motorhead has continued forward, however, releasing Bad Magic last August and slating a U.K. tour for January.

"We're still going – we're still going strong – it's just first Würzel and now Philthy, it's a shame man," Lemmy said. "I think this rock n roll business might be bad for the human life. Oh, well."

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