LOS ANGELES (AP) – Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, the Motorhead frontman whose outsized persona made him a hero for generations of hard-rockers and metal-heads, has died. He was 70; his birthday was on Christmas Eve.

Agent Andrew Goodfriend tells The Associated Press that Kilmister died on Monday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with 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!”