James Hetfield combined ink and ash to flip a lasting tribute to his late pal Lemmy Kilmister.
Hetfield, the Metallica frontman, on Wednesday showed off a new tattoo on his middle finger, Motörhead's “Ace of Spades” logo, with a little bit of Lemmy permanently inked into the saluting digit.
Hetfield credited the "steady hand" of prominent Southern California tattoo artist Corey Miller for the work, which stands as a "salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister."
"Without him, there would be NO Metallica," Hetfield posted on Instagram. "Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me."
Miller said he was honored to craft the unusual tribute of ink and ash: "If I that ain’t Metal.. you can kiss my #ss."
Kilmister, the legendary British bassist and singer, known simply as Lemmy, was 70 when he died Dec. 28, 2015.
"So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world," Hetfield added.
"Ace of Spades" was Motörhead's best-known song and the title track of the famed 1980 album.
