The Guardian's calling him the man who invented Thrash Metal and for once I'm inclined to agree with them. His signature drumming style helped turned rock into Metal. A fucking legend.
Mind you, sixty one is a good innings. He would have had enough booze and drugs in his system over the years to kill lesser mortals many times over. Amazing that Lemmy's outlived him. Anyway, he would have had a complete and satisfying life and I salute him.