Some of Lemi's ashes will remain permanently in Manchester

The band Motorhead has announced the seventh "Lemmy Forever" ceremony, which will be held at the Download Festival in 2026, and after the festival ends, some of Lemmy's ashes will be permanently placed in Manchester.

Motorhead's legendary singer and bassist, Lemmy, considered one of the most influential figures in metal history, died in December 2015 at the age of 70, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.

For years, there has been a special tribute to him at the Download Festival, considering that he performed at the festival in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013, and last year he was joined on stage by Sleš.

With the 2026 edition of the festival just around the corner, organizers have confirmed that fans will gather again to celebrate Lemi's life and legacy.

The ceremony will be held on Friday, June 12, at 15 p.m., as part of the "Lemmy Forever" initiative, in a space known as Lemmy's Lounge.

There will be a miniature version of Lemmy's special urn, containing some of his ashes, placed in a classic fruit slot machine - an item his close friends claim he often took with him on tour.

After the festival ends, on the night of June 14th and 15th, the same ashes will be transferred to the O2 Apollo Manchester, where another "Lemmy Forever" ceremony will be held, after which the ashes will remain permanently housed at that location.

During the ceremony in Manchester, fans and friends were invited to share stories about Lemmy and remember the huge impact he made through his music.

For years, these ceremonies were organized by his bandmate, Phil Campbell. After Campbell's death in March, another close friend of Lemmy's, Motörhead's manager, Todd Singerman, took over the responsibility.

"It's a responsibility we proudly carry. Not everyone can travel to Hollywood to visit Lemmy, so we're giving him back to his fans. These places meant a lot to him, and they mean a lot to the people who loved him," Singerman said.

"It's important that they have a place where they can come, raise a glass, tell a story and spend a moment with him," he added.

Singerman added that the 2026 ceremony will also be an opportunity to honor Phil Campbell:

"When Phil passed away, we lost an important family member. I know Lemmy would have insisted that we all raise a glass to Phil as well."

Since his death, Lemi's ashes have traveled to numerous places that were particularly meaningful to him.

In 2024, some of his ashes were put on display at London's Stringfellows club, in an urn shaped like his signature hat.

Before that, a convoy of 55 motorcyclists on Harley-Davidson motorcycles accompanied the bust with his ashes to Rock City in Nottingham, while some of the ashes are also carried to the Bloodstock Open Air every year.

Another miniature urn ended up at the legendary Los Angeles bar Rainbow Bar & Grill, some of the ashes were scattered at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, while James Hetfield from the band Metallica incorporated some of the ashes into a shovel tattoo on his middle finger.

Some of the ashes were even embedded in bullets and distributed to his closest friends.