Former Motörhead Guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston Dies at 61

Published Jul 11, 2011

Best known under his stage name, Würzel, former Motörhead guitarist Michael Burston died Saturday (July 9) due to complications related to heart disease. The news was announced on Facebook courtesy of Tim Butcher, bass technician for Lemmy Kilmister. Würzel was 61.Joining Motörhead in 1984, Würzel played on six of the band's studio albums before departing from the group in 1995 after disagreements with Lemmy about payment and publicity. Since then, Würzel collaborated with a number of punk and metal bands, including Warhead, Splodgenessabounds, Disgust and others, as well as embarking upon a solo career.In later years, Würzel would occasionally join Motörhead on stage for various performances. He was also said to be working on a new band called Leader of Down, who were set to release their debut single last year. No recordings ever surfaced from the project.Würzel is survived by his partner Jem.