Former Motorhead Guitarist 'Würzel' Dead at 61

MOTÖRHEAD paid tribute to the band's late guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston on Sunday during their set at the U.K.'s Sonisphere festival. Addressing the crowd, Lemmy reportedly said, "We'd like to dedicate this set and our lives to Würzel."

According to a posting on the Facebook page of Tim Butcher, longtime bass tech for MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston passed away Saturday, July 9. No official statement has been made, but it is believed that Burston died of ventricular fibrillation, caused by cardiomyopathy, better known as heart disease. He was 61 years old.

MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee told the Swedish newspaper Expressen about his former bandmate.

"He was wonderful. He wrote lots of fucking great MOTÖRHEAD riffs. I remember missing that when he was not in the band anymore. I missed the simple, classic MOTÖRHEAD riffs. We never wrote those after that. They ended with him."

Würzel can be heard on the following MOTÖRHEAD albums:

* No Remorse (1984)
* Orgasmatron (1986)
* Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
* Nö Sleep at All (1988)
* The Birthday Party (1990)
* 1916 (1991)
* March ör Die (1992)
* Bastards (1993)
* Sacrifice (1995)

Würzel left MOTÖRHEAD in 1995.

For the past couple of years, Burston has played with a new band called LEADER OF DOWN, which last month headlined the main stage at the U.K. fundraising music festival "Never Mind The Bullocks" in aid of Midlands Air Ambulance.