Phil Campbell, who played guitar in Motörhead for over 30 years, has died at age 64. His band Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons announced that he passed away peacefully after a long battle in intensive care following a major operation. The news was shared on social media on March 14.
Phil Campbell served as guitarist for the British metal band Motörhead from 1984 until the group's disbandment in 2015 following frontman Lemmy Kilmister's death. Born in Wales in 1961, Campbell began playing guitar at age 10, drawing influences from Jimi Hendrix, Todd Rundgren, and Jimmy Page. He first met Kilmister in the early 1970s after a Hawkwind show at Cardiff Capitol Theatre, where the musician signed his program, as Campbell later recalled in a 2018 Revolver interview: “If somebody said to me that day that I’d be in a big band with this guy and win Grammys and go around the world, I’d have thought they were crazy. But it just proves that anything can happen.” Before joining Motörhead, he performed in bands such as Contrast, Roktopus, and Persian Risk, which he founded in 1979. He auditioned successfully in 1984 alongside Michael “Würzel” Burston to replace Brian Robertson, contributing to 16 albums including Orgasmatron (1986), March or Die (1992), Motörizer (2008), and Aftershock (2013). A Motörhead statement described him as having “Motörhead in his veins,” noting his love for life and joy. Post-Motörhead, Campbell released the solo album Old Lions Still Roar in 2019, featuring Alice Cooper, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Dee Snider, and Benji Webbe. In 2016, he formed Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons with sons Todd, Dane, and Tyla; vocalist Neil Starr was replaced by Joel Peters in 2021. Their latest album, Kings of the Asylum, came out in 2023, though a planned tour was cancelled in February due to his health. Tributes include one from former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee: “He was the funniest guy I have ever known and the best rock guitar player I have ever played with... Most of all, I will miss hanging out with the nicest guy you could ever meet.” Others came from Dee Snider, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, and Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan. Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons remembered him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather known as ‘Bampi,’ whose legacy will endure.
