The last surviving member of a legendary rock band has passed away at 67

DmageCase/YouTube

Legendary Motörhead guitarist Edward “Fast Eddie” Clarke has passed away at the age of 67 after suffering from a bout of pneumonia.

Videos by Rare

Clarke’s death was announced on Motörhead’s Facebook page. The post said that Clarke died peacefully in hospital.

The statement reads: “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,” the statement continued.

“Fast Eddie… keep roaring, rockin’ and rollin’ up there as goddamit man, your Motörfamily would expect nothing less!

“RIP Fast Eddie Clarke — 5th October 1950 — 10th January 2018,” the post concluded.

Clarke initially joined the British rock band in 1976 and is generally considered to be part of the band’s best-known lineup, along with drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor and front man Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister. Motörhead released their self-titled debut album in 1977, and throughout their run had several hit songs like the iconic “Ace of Spades.”

Clarke left the band in 1982 to pursue other musical projects and was replaced by Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.

Clarke would eventually reunite with his former Motörhead bandmates. In 2000, he appeared at their 25th anniversary concert at Brixton Academy as a special guest. He also joined Lemmy in 2014 to play Ace of Spades during a show in Birmingham.

Clarke was the last surviving member of the “classic” Motörhead lineup. Taylor passed away in November 2015 due to liver failure, and Lemmy lost a battle with cancer the just a few weeks later.

The guitarist spoke about his health issues in a 2014 interview with TeamRock.com:

“I’m starting to feel quite old,” he said. “I’ve had some trouble with my heart. I’m on blood pressure pills, and I’ve got emphysema through smoking. They’ve discovered that I’ve got prostate problems as well, so I’m also on pills for that. When I walk down the road, I rattle like a tin of Smarties.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hyJq-QMmo

RELATED: A classic rock star has died at 76, just before he was due to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

What do you think?

After two decades in custody, inmate exonerated due to false evidence provided by police officer

‘Jersey Shore’ cast to potentially film upcoming series in Chicago