Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke died Wednesday at 67.
He was the last surviving founding member of the legendary metal outfit, best known for their 1980 hit Ace of Spades.
“We are devastated to pass on the news we only just heard ourselves earlier tonight … Edward Allan Clarke – or as we all know and love him Fast Eddie Clarke – passed away peacefully yesterday,” the official Motörhead Facebook page announced early Thursday. “Ted Carroll (who formed Chiswick Records) made the sad announcement via his FB page, having heard from Doug Smith that Fast Eddie passed peacefully in hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia.”
Former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee, now a member of the Scorpions, said in a statement on Motörhead’s page, “Oh my f—king God, this is terrible news, the last of the three amigos. I saw Eddie not too long ago and he was in great shape, so this is a complete shock. Me and Eddie always hit it off great. I was looking forward to seeing him in the UK this summer when we around with the Scorps.”
Dee added of fellow founding Motörhead members Ian “Lemmy” Kilmeister, who died of cancer in December 2015, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor who died that November, “Now Lem and Philthy can jam with Eddie again, and if you listen carefully I’m sure you’ll hear them, so watch out! Fast Eddie … keep roaring, rockin’ and rollin’ up there as goddammit man, your Motörfamily would expect nothing less!”
In addition to his work with Motörhead, Clarke formed the band, Fastway, with UFO bassist, Pete Way, in the 80’s. The band’s debut, self titled, album, spawned the hit, Say What You Will.
additional source: Jessica Sager of Page Six
17 Responses
I always thought “We Become One” was one of the best metal songs ever birthed.
yes, not only Motorhead, but ALL of the Fastway stuff is killer! All brought to us by FEC.
Very sad to hear about Fast Eddie Clark passing away. I was never a huge Motorhead fan, but I did like some of the older songs like “Bomber” and “Ace of Spades”. But I really like the work he did on the first two FASTWAY albums. I got to see FASTWAY open for IRON MAIDEN on I believe was to “Piece of Mind” tour. They kicked ass! RIP Eddie, and God Bless his friends and family.
Keith, I saw the same Fastway/Maiden (with Saxon, too) tour when it stopped in San Diego in 1983. Yes, it was Piece of Mind tour and was dubbed the British Metal Onslaught tour.
I’ve always enjoyed fast tempo songs played with aggression. So, when I discovered Motorhead, I absolutely loved it. Fastway was a huge departure from Motorhead’s sound, but it made me better appreciate Fast Eddie’s guitar skills.
My first concert was 83. Iron Maiden, Fastway, and Coney Hatch. It was Piece Of Mind. Will never forget . Still got ticket stub.
Thoughts and prayers to Fast Eddie’s family. Hard to believe that all three members of the classic Motorhead lineup have all passed away within the past couple of years or so. First time I heard Motorhead was the No Sleep Til Hammersmith album. I thought it was incredible that three musicians could make so much noise….I loved it!
RIP Fast Eddie. You left a legacy of music that will last forever.
NO SLEEP TIL HAMMERSMITH was the first Motorhead album that I was exposed to, as well! That was definitely an underappreciated live album! Like I said, Motorhead never clicked with me. Not enough melody or groove in their music, for my tastes. But I could appreciate some of their songs, and I loved the attitude of Lemmy, Philthy Animal, and Fast Eddie! Very sad that the original, classic version of the band are all gone, now.
R.I.P. Eddie. Fastway’s debut album, phenomenal.
Oh man this is devastating.
Lemmy’s and Philthy’s personas loomed so large that Fast Eddie got overlooked, but he was just so important to the classic line-up, changing heavy rock forever.
By the way, as crucial as he was to Motorhead’s sound, he wasn’t actually a founding member.
You are indeed correct, Tyger! Of the classic lineup of Lemmy, Philthy, and Fast Eddie, only Lemmy was an original, founding member of Motorhead.