A London coroner concluded that Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell died of multi-organ failure brought on by complications from operations he needed, closing an inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.

Dr. Richard Brittain, the coroner, recorded the cause of death as multi-organ failure. He determined the surgery Campbell underwent had been necessary, with the complications that followed falling within the known risks of those procedures.

“My view is that there is nothing here to suggest his death could have been prevented,” Brittain said at the inquest.

Campbell, a Welsh musician, died in the hospital on March 13, at 64. He was Motörhead’s guitarist from 1984 until the band disbanded in 2015.

What the Court Heard

The court was told that Campbell had two liver transplants and bowel surgery at the Royal Free Hospital in London earlier in 2026. The second transplant was a success, and then came further complications. After the bowel surgery, Campbell was moved to intensive care, where his condition deteriorated rapidly.

The inquest heard that Campbell had drunk alcohol to excess in the past but had been sober for seven years by the time he died. It also heard that he had suffered from hepatitis C, which had been treated.

Inquests of the kind held at St Pancras are convened in cases of sudden or unexplained death and are heard in the district where the death occurred.

Family Announced the Death

In February, Campbell canceled shows because of health problems. His family announced his death on social media on March 14.

The family said he had spent a long period in intensive care following major surgery. Relatives remembered him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather, known within the family as “Bampi.”

“His legacy, music and the memories he created with so many will live on forever,” the family said.

A Motörhead tribute praised Campbell as a guitarist, writer, performer and musician, and recalled his sense of humor and his appetite for life. The band said the world had lost an enormous beam of light and that it was devastated.

Three Decades With Motörhead

The Pontypridd-born guitarist joined Motörhead in 1984 and stayed to the end, making him the band’s second longest-serving member after bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister, whose real name was Ian Kilmister. Kilmister founded Motörhead in 1975, and his death in December 2015 brought Motörhead to a close.

Campbell played on every Motörhead album from 1986’s “Orgasmatron” through 2015’s “Bad Magic.” The band had already helped pioneer heavy metal in Britain before he arrived, with top 10 albums including 1980’s “Ace of Spades,” 1981’s “No Sleep ’til Hammersmith” and 1982’s “Iron Fist.”

The 1984 lineup Campbell joined also featured guitarist Mick “Wurzel” Burston and drummer Pete Gill alongside Kilmister.

After Motörhead ended, Campbell recorded and toured with his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla as Phil Campbell and the B****d Sons, a late-career second act that kept him on the road into his 60s. His children have continued with the B****d Sons since his death.