The death of Phil Campbell set off a wave of loving tributes from rock stars all over the world.
Dee Snider, Duff McKagan and Geezer Butler were among those who described the longtime Motorhead guitarist as a talented musician, good-humored friend and loving father.
Campbell died Friday night after what his family described as “a long and courageous battle in intensive care after a complex major operation.”
Born May 7, 1961 in Pontypridd, Wales, Campbell joined Motorhead in 1984 and remained with the group until it disbanded following the 2015 death of frontman Lemmy Kilmister. His 31 years in the band were second only to Kilmister.
Read More: How the Rock World Reacted to the Death of Motorhead’s Lemmy
His next group, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, was humorously and accurately named, as it featured his three sons: Guitarist Todd, bassist Tyla and drummer Dane.
“[We are] absolutely overwhelmed by the thousands of messages we have all received,” Tyla wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. From old school friends I haven’t spoken to in years reminding me that Dad used to just stroll into the primary school hall and play some tunes on the piano before picking me up from school to absolute rock n roll and wrestling icons personally messaging me to say he was one of the best human beings they have ever met. He truly was. Little did we know that this would be our final Christmas together. I will love you forever Dad.”
You can see many more loving tributes to Phil Campbell below:
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