James Hetfield’s Finger Amputated After “Lemmy” Tattoo Gets Infected
Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s finger had to be amputated after his new “Lemmy” tattoo got infected. Basically The tattoo was an Ace of Spades on his right middle finger that included Lemmy Kilmister’s ashes mixed into the ink. Motörhead was a huge influence on Metallica and after Hetfield’s band rose to prominence, he and Lemmy became personal friends.
It all started innocently enough when Hetfield, known for his thunderous riffs and gravelly vocals, decided to pay homage to the late, great Lemmy Kilmister, frontman of Motörhead. But as we all know, when rock gods mingle, chaos often ensues.
James Hetfield’s Tattoo
Metallica’s Instagram revealed a photo of Hetfield flashing a new tattoo on his middle finger. It’s an ace of spades, a callback to Motörhead’s signature song “Ace Of Spades,” and some of Kilmister’s ashes are mixed in with the ink. Unfortunately mixing bodily fluids or ashes into the bloodstream sometimes has drawbacks.
Motorhead was the loudest, dirtiest, smelliest Rock n Roll band in the world and Lemmy was their leader. Kilmister enjoyed Jack Daniels for breakfast, groupies for lunch and speed for dinner. His appetite for debauchery knew no limits. And now all of that was jammed into Hetfield’s middle finger.
Hetfield told Madhouse News, “At first I loved the tattoo. I was honored to have a small piece of my hero and good friend in my middle finger. Lemmy was able to fly the bird to the world once again. But then the finger started to itch, then it turned black and rot. Doctors told me I had contracted hepatitis C from the ashes and the finger is infected. It smelled like death and had to be removed immediately.”
“It seems like a bad thing but you know it’s true what they say about silver linings. My finger was gone from the knuckle but I replaced it with a cool doll’s arm. It is my guitar strumming hand so I have a guy building me a permanent pick finger. My middle finger will now be a guitar pick. How cool is that? Now I will never have to worry about dropping picks or losing them. I am living my 14 year old self’s best life.”
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