The news of Lemmy Kilmister's passing has prompted many of the musicians who loved the man and his music to share their feelings via social media — including the members of Metallica, who've posted a pair of tributes to the Motörhead frontman.

In one Facebook post, captioned simply "our hero," the band members can be seen on stage with Lemmy in video footage from the 2009 show during which he joined them for a performance of the 1981 Motörhead song "Too Late Too Late." It followed an earlier post that included an archival photo of Lemmy as well as a brief tribute referring to him as "one of the primary reasons this band exists" and adding, "We are forever grateful for all of your inspiration."

Lemmy, you are one of the primary reasons this band exists. We are forever grateful for all of your inspiration. Rest In Peace.Endless Love & Respect, Metallica

Posted by Metallica on Monday, December 28, 2015

The mutual admiration society between Metallica and Motörhead prompted a number of performances, including the 1995 gig at Los Angeles' Whisky where the members of Metallica celebrated Lemmy's 50th birthday by taking the stage as a wigged tribute band dubbed the Lemmys. The seven-song set list, which you can watch part of above, kicked off with "Overkill," "Damage Case," "Stone Dead Forever," and "Too Late, Too Late" — all of which they'd previously recorded for their Garage Inc. covers collection.

Meanwhile, in 2011, Lemmy told Metal Insider: "You can't top Metallica. They're really a f–ing excellent band. I'm delighted that they said that I was one of their influences. Like, they have all of their influences, and you can't hear the influences in them, which is great. They've become their own people, and that's great. I like them a lot. I've spent a lot of time with those boys."

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