Clarke was the last surviving member of Motörhead's classic line-up, after Phil Taylor, known as "Philthy Animal Taylor", died in November 2015. Taylor's death was also just six weeks before frontman Lemmy - who passed away aged 70.

The news was broken on Motörhead's Facebook page, with a statement confirming that Clarke had died on Wednesday.

Phil Campbell, the last guitarist in Motörhead, paid tribute: "Just heard the sad news that Fast Eddie Clarke has passed away. Such a shock, he will be remembered for his iconic riffs and was a true rock'n'roller. RIP Eddie."

Clarke was the band's main guitarist, and his riffs feature on most of Motörhead's best-selling singles and albums. He joined the group in 1976 and played with the band throughout their most successful era. Clarke left in 1982 after he disagreed with Motörhead collaborating with the Plasmatics. The falling out was because he felt disappointed with the results of their Iron Fist album.

Clarke continued to pursue music, forming a second band, Fastway, with UFO bassist Pete Way. He continued to make music until his later years, both as a soloist and with other musicians. In 2014, he reunited with Lemmy to play 'Ace of Spades', one of Motörhead's best-known songs.