Former Motörhead drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor died on Wednesday Nov. 11. He was 61.
His ex-bandmate “Fast” Eddie Clarke confirmed his death and posted on Facebook, “My dear friend and brother passed away last night. He had been ill for sometime but that does not make it any easier when the time finally comes.”
“I have known Phil since he was 21,” Clarke says, “and he was one hell of a character. Fortunately, we made some fantastic music together and I have many many fond memories of our time together.”
According to UltimateClassicRock.com, Taylor wasn’t Motorhead’s first drummer. Instead, he replaced Lucas Fox during the recording of their initial album, On Parole. An unkempt, completely rock and roll presence, Taylor would play a huge role in defining their sound, working with Lemmy Kilmister from 1975–84 – a period that included Motorhead’s signature album Ace of Spades – and then again from 1987–92, when Taylor made a final appearance on “I Ain’t No Nice Guy” from March Or Die. Clark and Taylor also issued Naughty Old Santa’s Christmas Classics together in 1989.