Motörhead Drummer Micky Dee has confirmed that the band will not carry on without Lemmy.

The iconic frontman passed away on Monday (December 28) just two days after being diagnosed with “an extremely aggressive cancer”. Lemmy’s health has deteriorated in recent years and a number of festival dates were axed this summer after the singer suffered gastric distress and dehydration. He was also diagnosed with a lung infection later in the year.

Following his death, Dee has now ruled out any chance of the band returning with a replacement singer. “Motörhead is over, of course,” he told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper. “Lemmy was Motörhead. We won’t be doing any more tours or anything. And there won’t be any more records. But the brand survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone.”

Dee also admitted he had been worried about Lemmy’s health for some time. “He was terribly gaunt, he spent all his energy onstage and afterwards he was very, very tired. It’s incredible that he could even play, that he could finish the Europe tour. It was only 20 days ago. Unbelievable.

“It feels fantastic that we were able to complete the tour with him. It’s heartening that we didn’t cancel because of Lemmy. I’m incredibly grateful over the years we had, and that we had such a good time together.”

Lemmy’s death occurred weeks after the loss of Dee’s predecessor, original Motörhead drummer Phil Taylor, who died in November, aged 61. Dee replaced Taylor in the band’s line-up in 1992.

Motörhead were formed by Lemmy (real name Ian Fraser Kilmister) in 1975. Prior to that he had been a member of Hawkwind but was asked to leave after being arrested on drug charges. Prior to joining Hawkwind in 1972, Lemmy was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. Motörhead would go on to release 20 studio albums, their most recent being ‘Bad Magic’ in August of this year.

Among those to pay tribute to Lemmy were some of rock’s biggest names including Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. Ozzy Osbourne, meanwhile, paid tribute to a friend of some 38 years. “Lost one of my best friends, Lemmy, today,” he tweeted. “He will be sadly missed. He was a warrior and a legend. I will see you on the other side.”