“The best rock guitar player I have ever played with” – Mikkey Dee honors Phil Campbell

Scorpions and Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee has just released a statement, honoring the memory of his band mate Phil Campbell.

We got the news this morning, and it’s so extremely sad, about the sudden passing of my brother and dear friend, Phil Campbell.

​He was the funniest guy I have ever known and the best rock guitar player I have ever played with. His vibe and feel for rock music were outstanding. We wrote 12 studio albums together, and he never stopped surprising me with his extreme talent. Most of all, I will miss hanging out with the nicest guy you could ever meet.

​My family and I send our thoughts to Phil’s family. I truly wish them all the best for the future, and I will be right here if they ever need anything.

​Sleep well, my friend and rock soldier. Say hi to Lemmy, Würzel, Filthy and Eddie. I am sure you’ll be a crazy gang hanging out together again!

​Love, Mikkey

Lead singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis, and drummer Lucas Fox founded the English rock group Motörhead in London in 1975. Kilmister was the sole consistent member and the main songwriter. The band is frequently seen as a forerunner of British heavy metal’s new wave, which revitalized the genre in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although Motörhead had a number of drummers and guitarists, drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor and guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke were featured on the majority of their best-selling albums and singles. Kilmister, drummer Mikkey Dee, and guitarist Phil Campbell made formed the trio from 1992 until its dissolution in 2015.

Over the course of a 40-year career, Motörhead issued 24 studio albums, 21 live recordings, 16 compilation albums, and five EPs. They were a power trio much of the time, but they were especially successful in the early 1980s, with multiple hits in the UK Top 40 chart. Motörhead’s status as a premier rock group was solidified by the albums “Overkill, Bomber” (1979), “Ace of Spades” (1980), and, in particular, the live album “No Sleep ’til Hammersmith” (1981). On VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, the band is ranked 26th. They were ranked as the eighth-best metal band of all time by Loudwire writers in 2016. The group has sold over 25 million albums globally as of 2025.