Motorhead frontman Lemmy has died aged 70, two days after learning he had cancer, the British band has announced, the BBC reports.

Lemmy formed the rock group in 1975 and recorded 22 albums, including Ace of Spades, as he became one of music’s most recognisable voices and faces.

The band said on its Facebook page: “Our mighty, noble friend Lemmy has passed away after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer.”

Lemmy was born Ian Fraser Kilmister in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1945.

He acquired the nickname Lemmy while at school, although he claimed to have had no idea where it came from.