RIP to my longtime next door neighbor
Erin Elizabeth, Founder Health Nut News Lemmy Kilmister (most just called him Lemmy) the founding member and frontman of Motörhead, and my next door neighbor for nearly 10 years, has died. He was 70 years old. RIP Lemmy.
News of his death was first reported by radio and TV host Eddie Trunk. Several others have since confirmed the news, including Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.
I, lil’ ole’ Erin, was fortunate to live right next door to Lemmy for the better part of a decade- from the mid 90’s into the 2000’s in West Hollywood, California- on the 9000 block of Harratt Street. It was a quiet (for the location) little dead end street right next to the 9000 building on Sunset and just a stone’s throw away from the Whiskey, Roxy, Troubadour and of course the Rainbow, where Lemmy would walk nearly every night for a night cap.
I remember when I first moved in, barely in my 20’s. I wasn’t sure what he was like and was a little nervous living next door to the rock star with the reputation for being (excuse my French) a “bad ass”. But my fears quickly evaporated as it turned out that this intimidating looking man, with the British accent, was quite the gentleman!
Lemmy was always super polite when I’d pass by him on the sidewalk and we’d say our hellos or when we were sitting out by the pool of our apartment building during the day, catching our Vitamin D rays.
We even had a conversation about music once, poolside, as I had my first generation iPod playing. Being a music major in college I was well versed in his genre of music which I think surprised the lead singer of one of the more memorable bands in music history.
I didn’t venture into his apartment (though most of my friends in the building had checked it out- some called it controversial) but it was a wild contrast having Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton on the Waltons) on one side of me, Lemmy from Motorhead on the other, and across the hall Sherman and Sherman, writers of the score from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. Disney even made a movie about them called “Saving Mr Banks” starring Tom Hanks and Ellen Corby.
There were always documentaries going on in my building. In fact, there was more than one on the Sherman Brothers, Lemmy and Ellen Corby. A few of them, with footage of my neighborhood and building, are linked below.
Despite never being close friends, we knew each other on a first name basis for the better half of the 90s all the way into the 2000s and I learned quickly that if I was getting home late and bumped into him on the sidewalk that I was as safe as could be. On our beautiful, no through traffic street off of Sunset Blvd, Lemmy wouldn’t have let anyone mess with me.
He was a good guy and a musical legend. Whether you enjoyed his tunes or not, one thing is true; he lasted longer than most musicians of his caliber. The documentary made in the building whilst I lived there says he drank a bottle of Bourbon a day. I never knew he drank that much, but if he did he hid it well.
I miss those perfect California days, the sunshine pools, healthy restaurants and beautiful beaches. Heck, even the traffic wasn’t half bad.
Long live the legend of Lemmy and Motorhead and all my interesting neighbors on Harrratt Street. I think it will be hard to forget him or any of them as their memories still linger along Harratt in West Hollywood.. and that is a good thing.
