Mötorhead's Lemmy posthumously stars in milk ad tribute

Date
8 January 2016

Mötorhead frontman Lemmy AKA Ian Kilmister stars in an ad promoting milk that was filmed less than a month before he died. Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 after a battle with cancer and Hasan & Partners, the agency who created the spot, says it’s a tribute to the late rockstar.

The ad was in the middle of post-production when Lemmy’s death was announced but the decision was made to still air the ad with footage “that was not part of the original script but crystallised Lemmy’s spirit.”

The ad for Finnish dairy company Valio is a remake of a famous 20-year-old Finnish commercial. In the spot, Lemmy walks out of a bar and states: “I have never drunk milk, and never will.” He then says, “You asshole,” and smiles. The take selected was an improvised moment that came late in the shoot. The company changed the script to recreate the ad as a tribute and the end copy reads: “Ian Lemmy Kilmister 1945-2015, We raise our glasses to you.” More text follows saying: “This is offered in celebration of the life of a lovely, exceptional man – a man who celebrated life so vibrantly himself.”

A website for the ad campaign features behind the scenes footage, anecdotes and stills, as well as information on the original ad and the inspiration for the 2016 remake.

Lemmy will have his funeral live streamed on 9 January.

Share Article

Further Info

About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.