Agent Andrew Goodfriend tells The Associated Press that Kilmister died on Monday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with aggressive cancer.
And the band posted the news on their Facebook page, "There is no easy way to say this... our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer."
Known simply as "Lemmy" to most, he was as famous for his mustache, mutton chops and the mole on his face as his music.
But he was deeply respected and revered as a rock master and innovator, from his time with the seminal psychedelic band Hawkwind in the early 1970s to his four decades in Motorhead, best known for their 1980 anthem "Ace of Spades."
Each of the band's legendary live shows would begin with Kilmister's loud announcement: "We are Motorhead! We play rock and roll!"
Celebrities have taken to social media to comment on their friend's passing.
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IN MEMORIAM 2015: Celebrities and notable figures who have died
Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole who also had her own hits like ''This Will Be,'' died Dec. 31, 2015 at age 65.none
Lemmy Kilmister of the band Motorhead passed away Dec. 28, 2015 following a brief battle with cancer. He was 70.none
Longtime Harlem Globetrotter entertainer Meadowlark Lemon, one of only five players to have their jerseys retired, died Dec. 27, 2015. He was 83.none
Actor Martin E Brooks, whose credits include ''The Six Million Dollar Man,'' ''Dallas,'' and ''General Hospital,'' passed away at age 90.none
Oscar-nominated actor Robert Loggia, who appeared in iconic movies like "Scarface" and "Big," died Dec. 4, 2015 at age 85.none
Rocker Scott Weiland, who has fronted bands such as the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died at age 48.none
Soap Opera star David Canary of ''All My Children'' died on Nov. 16, 2015 of natural causes. He was 77.none
Actor Nathaniel Marston, known for his role in the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live,'' died in November from injuries in an October car crash. He was 40.none
Irish jockey Pat Eddery, who was crowned the flat-racing British Champion Jockey during 11 seasons, died at age 63.none
Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt died Nov. 10 at age 96. He was the leader of West Germany from 1974 to 1982.none
Allen Toussaint, the legendary New Orleans musician and composer behind hits like ''Lady Marmalade,'' died after a heart attack during a performance. He was 77.none
Former MLB pitcher Tommy Hanson died at age 29 of organ failure. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels and was a candidate for a handful of other teams.none
Fred Thompson, a former Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee who was also known for acting in films and TV shows such as ''Law and Order,'' died Nov. 1. He was 73.none
Actor and agent Marty Ingels, who was married to actress Shirley Jones for nearly 40 years, died Oct. 21 at age 79.none
Three Dog Night founding member Cory Wells, who sang lead on some hits like ''Mama Told Me (Not to Come),'' died Oct. 20 at age 74.none
Jamie Zimmerman, a doctor and reporter with ABC News' medical unit, died after drowning on vacation in Hawaii Oct. 12. She was 31.none
YouTube star Caleb Logan Bratayley, 13, right, passed away Oct. 1 of ''natural causes,'' his family said. The Bratayleys have more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube.none
Yankees legend Yogi Berra died at age 90 on Sept. 22. The Hall of Famer was known for his catching career as much as his quoteable ''Yogisms.''none
Bestselling author Jackie Collins, known for her tales of Hollywood glamour and romance, died of breast cancer on Sept. 19. She was 77.none
NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone, whose 19-year career included time with the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, died Sept. 13 at age 60.none
Actor Dean Jones, known for Disney films like ''The Love Bug,'' died of Parkinson's disease on Sept. 1 at age 84.none
Wes Craven, the legendary horror movie director known for classics like ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''The Hills Have Eyes'' died at age 76.none
Justin Wilson, an IndyCar driver, died after a piece of debris struck him during a race. He was 37.none
Uggie the dog, who starred in 2011's "The Artist," passed away on August 7 at age 13.AP
Tony Lara, who appeared as a ship captain on the Discovery Channel program "Deadliest Catch" died Sunday in Sturgis, South Dakota. He was 50 years old.none
NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford died Aug. 9 at the age of 84. His family says he died of natural causes.none
Rapper Sean Price, half of the 90s duo Heltah Skeltah, died Saturday, August 8, at age 43.none
Chris Hyndman, co-host of the lifestyle show "Steven and Chris, died Monday August 3 at age 49.none
Roddy Piper, wrestler and WWE legend, died on July 31, 2015. He was 61.AP
Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died Sunday, July, 26 2015 at age 22.AP
E.L. Doctorow, American author whose historical novels include 'Ragtime' and 'The March', died July 21 at 84.none
Theodore Bikel, the Oscar and Tony-nominated actor who played the role of Tevye in thousands of productions of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof, died on July 21. He was 91.none
George Coe, an actor with extensive television, film and stage credits such as ''Archer'' and ''West Wing,'' died July 18 at age 86.none
Alex Rocco, an Emmy-winning actor best known for playing Moe Greene in ''The Godfather,'' has died. He was 79.none
Marlene Sanders, the first woman to anchor a prime-time network news cast, died July 14. She was 84.none
Joan Sebastian died July 13 at age 64. One of Mexico's great ballad singers, he was best known for sentimental love songs like ''Tatuajes'' and ''Secreto de Amor.''none
Roger Rees, the Tony Award-winning actor who also played Robin Colcord in ''Cheers,'' died July 10 after a brief illness. He was 71.AP
Christian Audigier, best known for his work with Ed Hardy and Von Dutch, has died at age 57.none
Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for his roles in ''Lawrence of Arabia' and "Doctor Zhivago,"' died July 10 at the age of 83.none
Legendary NFL quarterback Ken Stabler died from complications associated with colon cancer on Wednesday, July 8. He was 69 years old.none
Jerry Weintraub, Hollywood film producer known for "The Karate Kid" and the "Ocean's Eleven" film remakes, died Monday, July 6. He was 77.none
Sculptor Blaine Gibson, who was behind some of Disney's most iconic statues, has died, the company announced Monday, July 6, 2015. He was 97.KABC
Amanda Peterson, star of the 1987 film "Can't Buy Me Love," died Sunday, July 5 at age 43.none
Burt Shavitz, the co-founder and namesake of Burt's Bees whose face appeared on the label, died July 5 at age 80.none
Diana Douglas, the first wife of Kirk Douglas and mother of Michael Douglas, died in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 4, 2015. She was 92.none
Scot Breithaupt, a pioneer in the sport of bicycle motocross known as BMX, was found dead in a tent in a vacant lot in Indio, California Saturday, July 4, 2015. He was 57.none
Nicholas Winton, a humanitarian who almost single-handedly saved more than 650 Jewish children from the Holocaust, died at the age of 106 on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.none
Jack Carter, whose brash comedy made him a television star, died of respiratory failure at his Beverly Hills, California home on Sunday, June 28, 2015.AP
Chris Squire, the bassist and co-founder of the progressive rock band Yes who recently announced he had leukemia, died Sunday, June 28, 2015. He was 67.none
Actor Dick Van Patten, best known for his role in the television series "Eight is Enough," died from complications from diabetes on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. He was 86.none
Oscar-winning composer James Horner, best known for his work in ''Titanic,'' died in a plane crash June 22. He was 61.none
Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, known for building Las Vegas' biggest hotels, died Monday, June 15 at age 98.none
Jazz musician Ornette Coleman passed away Tuesday, June 11, 2015 at age 85.none
WWE Hall of Fame member Dusty Rhodes passed away Thursday, June 11, 2015 at age 69.none
Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Charles Manson trial who went on to write the best-selling true-crime book, 'Helter Skelter,' died Monday, June 8, 2015. He was 80.AP
Sir Christopher Lee, known for his roles as Count Dracula, Saruman in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" prequels, died June 8, 2015 at age 93.none
Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, died after battling brain cancer on Saturday, May 30, 2015. He was 46.AP
Tennis great Doris Hart, who won each Grand Slam tournament at least once, and once won three Wimbledon titles in a single day, died Friday, May 29, 2015 at the age of 89.none
U2 tour manager Dennis Sheehan died at Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. He was 68.none
Actress and comedian Anne Meara, best known for her comic work with husband Jerry Stiller, died May 23. She was 85.none
Josh Nash, the mathematician whose life inspired the film ''A Beautiful Mind,'' died May 23 after a taxi crash. His wife, Alicia Nash, was also a passenger killed in the crash.none
Blues legend B.B. King died May 14, 2015. He was 89.AP
Chris Burden, the artist who created the famous 'Urban Light' display outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, died Sunday, May 10, 2015.KABC
Errol Brown, the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate and best known for the hit "You Sexy Thing," died May 6, 2015. He was 71.none
Jim Wright (left), a veteran Texas congressman who was the first House speaker in history to driven out of office in midterm, died Wednesday, May 6, 2015. He was 92.AP
Ellen Albertini Dow, best known for her salty rendition of "Rapper's Delight" in "The Wedding Singer," died Monday, May 4. She was 101.none
Grace Lee Whitney, who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original 'Star Trek' series, died of natural causes on Friday, May 1, 2015. She was 85.AP
Ben E. King, the American soul singer and former member of The Drifters, died Thursday, April 30, 2015. He was 76.none
Calvin Peete, the most successful black player on the PGA Tour before the arrival of Tiger Woods, died Wednesday, April 29, 2015. He was 71.none
Jean Nidetch, a New York housewife who tackled her own obesity and went on to start Weight Watchers, died Wednesday, April 29, 2015. She was 91.none
Jack Ely, co-founder of The Kingsmen and best known for his 1963 rendition of 'Louie, Louie,' died Tuesday, April 28, 2015 after a long battle with an illness. He was 71.none
Actress and TV personality Jayne Meadows, who often teamed with her husband Steve Allen, died Sunday, April 26, 2015 of natural causes. She was 95.none
James Best, best known as the bumbling sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on TV's "The Dukes of Hazzard," died Monday, April 6 at age 88 following a brief illness.none
Actor Windell Middlebrooks, famously known as the no-nonsense beer delivery man in TV commercials, died March 9. He was 36.none
Sam Simon, co-creator of ''The Simpsons,'' died March 8 after a battle with colon cancer. He was 59.Creative Content
Former Negro Leaguer and Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso died Sunday, March 1, 2015. He was 90 years old.AP
Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as ''Spock'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, died Feb. 27, 2015 at the age of 83.none
Ben Woolf, an actor on "American Horror Story," died Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, after he was hit by the side mirror of a passing vehicle.AP
Lesley Gore, who topped the charts in 1963 with her epic song of teenage angst, "It's My Party," died of cancer, Monday, Feb. 16, 2015. She was 68.AP
David Carr, media columnist for The New York Times, died Feb. 12, 2015 at the age of 58.none
Bob Simon, longtime ''60 Minutes'' correspondent, died Feb. 11, 2015 in a car wreck. He was 73.none
Ernie Banks, MLB Hall-of-Famer, died Jan. 23, 2015 at the age of 83.none
Stand-up comedian Taylor Negron died Jan. 10, 2015 following a battle with cancer. He was 57.none
Stuart Scott, longtime ESPN sportscaster, died Jan. 4 following a battle with cancer. He was 49.none
Donna Douglas, best known as Elly May Clampett on ''The Beverly Hillbillies,'' died Jan. 1, 2015 at the age of 82.none
The Associated Press contributed to this report.