'Fast' Eddie Clarke 1950 - 2018

'Fast' Eddie Clarke 1950 - 2018

- Richard Bienstock

MOTÖRHEAD’S MUSIC will forever be most associated with frontman and founder Lemmy Kilmister’s distorted, rumbling bass and gravelly, tough-as-nails rasp, but it is guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke who provided the indelible riffs that characterized many of the British outfit’s greatest songs, from “Overkill” to “Bomber” to the immortal “Ace of Spades.” The guitarist, who played with Motörhead from 1976 to 1982, died on January 10, at age 67, while battling pneumonia.

Born Edward Allan Clarke on October 5, 1950, “Fast” Eddie was the last living member of Motörhead’s classic-era lineup, which also featured Kilmister and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, both of whom passed away in 2015. Together, they were arguably one of the most legendary and influential units in all of hard rock and heavy metal. Among the many bands who took more than a few musical cues from Motörhead was Metallica, who included four Motörhead covers on their 1998 compilation album, Garage Inc. Following Clarke’s death, drummer Lars Ulrich tweeted: “Thank you for the riffs. Thank you for the solos. Thank you for the attitude. Thank you for being in the coolest band. Thank you for inspiring me to go down the same path.”