Phil Campbell, the Welsh guitarist who spent 31 years as Motörhead’s lead guitarist and was the longest-serving member of the band outside of founder Lemmy Kilmister himself, died on March 13, 2026.
He was 64.
The news was announced on Saturday by his band Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, the group he formed with his three sons after Motörhead disbanded.
The statement was signed by his sons Todd, Dane, and Tyla.
“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,” the statement read.
“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 is survived by his wife Gaynor and their three sons. At the time of his death, he was working on new music with Julian Jenkins, the singer for hard rock band Fury.
How Did Campbell Join Motörhead?
Philip Anthony Campbell was born on May 7, 1961, in Pontypridd, Wales. He picked up a guitar at ten years old and by 13 was playing semi-professionally in pub and cabaret bands around South Wales.
In 1979, at 18, he formed Persian Risk, a British heavy metal band that gave him his first serious platform.
His career changed permanently on February 8, 1984. Motörhead were holding auditions for a new guitarist following the departure of Brian Robertson, the former Thin Lizzy player who had lasted only a year with the band.
The auditions eventually narrowed to two candidates: Campbell and Michael “Würzel” Burston. Lemmy had planned to hire one.
After hearing them play together, he hired both. Campbell and Würzel operated as a twin-guitar lineup within Motörhead until 1995, when Würzel departed.
From that point forward, Campbell was the band’s sole guitarist for the final two decades of Motörhead’s existence, carrying the entire guitar weight of one of the most sonically demanding bands in rock history on his own.
31 Years With Motörhead
Campbell’s first album with Motörhead was Orgasmatron in 1986. Over the following three decades he recorded 16 studio albums with the band, contributing the riffs to some of the most recognizable tracks in the Motörhead catalog.
Among them: “Deaf Forever,” “Eat the Rich,” “Born to Raise Hell,” and much of the material across classic records including 1916, Bastards, and Snake Bite Love.
In a 2025 interview with the Scars and Guitars podcast, Campbell pushed back on any suggestion that his contribution was secondary.
“Well, most of the Motörhead riffs during my time with the band are mine all the way through,” he said.
“They’d change ’em a bit and whatever, but basically, ’cause when we were the three-piece, everyone was waiting for me to come up with something to start the songs.”
Notable moments from his time in the band include Motörhead’s appearance as musical guests on the cult British sitcom The Young Ones on February 14, 1984, just days after Campbell was officially hired.
Campbell was present for the No Remorse compilation, widely regarded as the definitive introduction to Motörhead, and for every high point and difficult stretch in the 31 years that followed.
Lemmy Kilmister died on December 28, 2015. The following day, drummer Mikkey Dee announced that Motörhead had disbanded.
Campbell later described the immediate aftermath as disorienting. “For about four months I didn’t know what to do. I was so exhausted I considered retiring completely,” he told Classic Rock in 2023.
Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons
He didn’t retire. What pulled him back was a birthday party. His eldest son Todd turned 30 in Cardiff, there was a live band, and Campbell got up and jammed some covers.
It felt good enough that they kept going. That informal session eventually became Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, a band featuring Campbell alongside his three sons, with Todd on guitar, Dane on bass, and Tyla on drums, and Neil Starr of Attack! Attack! on vocals.
The band debuted with a self-titled EP in November 2016, released their first full album The Age of Absurdity in January 2018 on Nuclear Blast Records, followed by We’re the Bastard Sons in 2019 and Kings of the Asylum in September 2023.
Along the way they opened for Guns N’ Roses, Saxon, Hawkwind, in a nod to Lemmy’s pre-Motörhead history, and Airbourne, building a genuine touring profile as a band in their own right rather than simply coasting on the Motörhead name.
Campbell also released his first solo album, Old Lions Still Roar, in 2019. The record featured guest vocals from Alice Cooper, Rob Halford, and Dee Snider, a who’s who of hard rock and heavy metal royalty lending their voices to mark the occasion.
In February 2026, the Bastard Sons canceled their scheduled tour of Australia and Europe.
The announcement cited “medical advice Phil has just received” and offered no further details.
The cancellation foreshadowed what was coming. “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this is likely to cause our fans,” the statement read at the time, “but Phil’s health will always be our number one priority.”
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Controversy
When Motörhead were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, Campbell’s name was not included on the initial ballot.
Only Lemmy, founding guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, none of whom were still alive, were nominated.
Campbell and Mikkey Dee, who had collectively been in the band for more of its recorded history than Clarke or Taylor combined, were left out.
The fan response was immediate and vocal. Under sustained public pressure, the Hall of Fame added Campbell and Dee to the ballot.
The episode illustrated both the depth of Campbell’s standing among Motörhead’s fanbase and the way institutional recognition had historically undervalued his contribution.
Tributes
Mikkey Dee, who joined Motörhead in 1992 and played alongside Campbell for the final 23 years of the band’s existence, wrote one of the most heartfelt tributes of the day.
“He was the funniest guy I have ever known and the best rock guitar player I have ever played with.
His vibe and feel for rock music were outstanding. We wrote 12 studio albums together, and he never stopped surprising me with his extreme talent.
Most of all, I will miss hanging out with the nicest guy you could ever meet.”
Dee continued:
“My family and I send our thoughts to Phil’s family. I truly wish them all the best for the future, and I will be right here if they ever need anything. Sleep well, my friend and rock soldier. Say hi to Lemmy, Würzel, Philthy and Eddie. I am sure you’ll be a crazy gang hanging out together again.”
Doro Pesch, the German heavy metal vocalist and a longtime friend, wrote on Instagram: “I’m at a loss for words. This is so sad. Phil, it was an honor to call you a friend. We will never forget you. Rest in peace.”
Phil Campbell was 64 years old. He spent 31 of them in Motörhead, carrying the guitar for one of the greatest and most uncompromising rock and roll bands the world has ever produced.
He was still writing music when he died.
