Longtime Motorhead Guitarist Phil Campbell Dies at 64

Longtime guitarist for Motorhead and founder of Phil Campbell and the Bastards Sons, Phil Campbell, has died at the age of 64.

On Saturday (March 14), Phil Campbell and the Bastards Sons shared the news on social media:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Philip Anthony Campbell, who passed away peacefully last night following a long and courageous battle in intensive care after a complex major operation.

Phil was a devoted husband, a wonderful father, and a proud and loving grandfather, known affectionately as “Bampi.” He 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.

We kindly ask that our family’s privacy is respected during this incredibly difficult time.

Campbell was born on May 7, 1961 in the town of Pontypridd, near Cardiff, Wales. He started playing guitar at a very young age and met Lemmy Kilmister when he was 12 years old.

“I went to…Cardiff to see Hawkwind, with Lemmy playing,” Campbell once said. “I asked him for his autograph that night. I’ve still got it on the program.”

About six years later, Campbell formed the band Persian Risk in 1979 and five years later auditioned for Motorhead after guitarist Brian Robertson left the band. Campbell was hired along with Michael “Wurzel” Burston.

His first full-length release with Motorhead was 1986’s Orgasmatron and he would play with the band on every release through 2015’s Bad Magic.

In an interview with the Rockpit, Campbell opened up about his first record with Motorhead.

“I thought the songs were pretty good but to be honest, me and Lem were never really happy with the production at the end,” he said about Orgasmatron.

“The production was a bit strange for the time, I don’t think it quite worked. I’d love to remix that, get my son to remix it actually. Maybe one day we can get that done? But lots of people like the album so who am I to say. We worked hard on it, I know that.”

In 2005, Motorhead won their first Grammy award for Best Metal Performance with their cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash.” They were first nominated for a Grammy in 1992 for 1916 and then in 2000 for another Metallica cover, this time “Enter Sandman”; in 2015, their song “Heartbreaker” was also nominated for a Grammy.

Phil Campbell, Lemmy and Mikkey Dee at the 57th Grammy Awards in 2015

Campbell worked quite a bit with his three sons, Todd, Dane and Tyla, who were all members of Phil Campbell and the Bastards Sons. They released their first self-titled EP in 2016, followed by 2018’s full-length, The Age of Absurdity. That same year, they released an official cover of Hawkwind’s “Silver Machine” for Record Store Day.

Earlier this year, Phil Campbell and the Bastards Sons announced that they were forced to cancel their Australian and Europe tour that was scheduled to run March through May. The decision came due to medical advice that Campbell had received.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this is likely to cause our fans, but Phil’s health will always be our number one priority,” the band shared on social media.

Loudwire sends our love and condolences to Campbell’s family, bandmates and fans across the world. Rest In Peace.