{"id":348005,"date":"2026-03-15T20:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T20:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/348005\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T20:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T20:43:07","slug":"motorhead-guitarist-phil-campbell-dies-at-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/348005\/","title":{"rendered":"Mot\u00f6rhead Guitarist Phil Campbell Dies at 64"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phil Campbell, who played guitar in the British metal band Mot\u00f6rhead<\/a> for over 30 years, has died. His band Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons confirmed the news on social media on March 14, sharing that Campbell \u201dpassed away peacefully\u2026following a long and courageous battle in intensive care after a complex major operation.\u201d He was 64.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhil was a devoted husband, a wonderful father, and a proud and loving grandfather, known affectionately as \u2018Bampi,\u2019\u201d the statement read. \u201cHe was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be missed immensely. His legacy, music and the memories he created with so many will live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Wales in 1961, Campbell picked up the guitar for the first time at ten years old, influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix<\/a>, Todd Rundgren<\/a>, and Jimmy Page<\/a>. He met Mot\u00f6rhead\u2019s frontman Lemmy Kilmister two years later, when Kilmister was playing a show with the space-rock outfit Hawkwind<\/a> at Cardiff Capitol Theatre. Campbell, a devoted fan, waited in the foyer after their set hoping to run into the group, and ended up meeting his future bandmate in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cLem was the only band member that came out, and he signed my program with his old style autograph, going all the way down the page on his picture,\u201d Campbell told Revolver<\/a> in 2018. \u201cIf somebody said to me that day that I\u2019d be in a big band with this guy and win Grammys and go around the world, I\u2019d have thought they were crazy. But it just proves that anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be over a decade before Campbell and Kilmister crossed paths again\u2014in the interem, Campbell played in an array of bands including the cabaret group Contrast, the pub-rock outfit, Roktopus, and the heavy metal band Persian Risk, which he founded in 1979. In 1984, he auditioned to join Mot\u00f6rhead after then-guitarist Brian Robertson left the band. The competition came down to Campbell and Michael \u201cW\u00fcrzel<\/a>\u201d Burston, but after hearing both guitarists play together, Kilmister decided to hire them both.<\/p>\n

Campbell would stay with Mot\u00f6rhead for the next three decades, playing on 16 of their records including Orgasmatron (1986), March or Die (1992), Mot\u00f6rizer<\/a> (2008), and Aftershock<\/a> (2013). His tenure ended in 2015, when the group disbanded after Kilmister\u2019s death<\/a>. A statement<\/a> on Campbell\u2019s death shared to Mot\u00f6rhead\u2019s social media pages said he had \u201cMot\u00f6rhead in his veins,\u201d adding: \u201dYou could not be around him without a chuckle or twenty, because quite simply, Phil loved life and lived it with great joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell released one solo album during his life, 2019\u2019s Old Lions Still Roar. It featured Alice Cooper<\/a>, Judas Priest<\/a>\u2019s Rob Halford, Dee Snider<\/a>, and Benji Webbe. In 2016, Campbell formed Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons with his children Todd, Dane, and Tyla Campbell. Family friend Neil Starr served as the group\u2019s vocalist until 2021, when he was replaced by Joel Peters. The band released their most recent album, Kings of the Asylum, in 2023; they had planned to tour across Australia and Europe this summer, but cancelled the run<\/a> in February due to Campbell\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Other tributes to Campbell have come from Snider<\/a>, Black Sabbath<\/a>\u2019s Tony Iommi<\/a>, Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a>\u2019 Duff McKagan<\/a>, and M\u00f6torhead drummer Mikkey Dee<\/a>. \u201c\u200bHe was the funniest guy I have ever known and the best rock guitar player I have ever played with. His vibe and feel for rock music were outstanding,\u201d Dee said. \u201cWe wrote 12 studio albums together, and he never stopped surprising me with his extreme talent. Most of all, I will miss hanging out with the nicest guy you could ever meet.\u201d<\/p>\n