The metal world has just lost some of its luster.
Guitarist Michael "Wrzel" Burston, who was a prominent member of the hard-rocking British band Motrhead, passed away on Saturday from heart disease. He was 61.
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(That's him on the left in the photo, with former bandmates Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Pete Gill.)
Burston joined the group in 1984 and lent his musical talents to such albums as Orgasmatron and March r Die before departing in 1996. Besides his lightning-fast abilities on a six-string, he also made quite a memorable impression on both his bandmates and fans by way of his comedic personality.
The nickname Wurzel was actually given to him back when he served as an army corporal because of a supposed resemblance to a scarecrow named Worzel Gummidge on a British children's TV show. The umlaut was later added over the "u" after Burston joined Motrhead.
In addition to a couple of solo efforts, Burston had also recently formed the band Leader of Down.