London coroner Dr. Richard Brittain recorded the cause of death of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell as multi-organ failure, brought on by complications from operations the musician needed.
The coroner closed the inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Brittain determined that the surgery Campbell underwent had been necessary, and that the complications that followed fell 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.
Campbell, a Welsh musician born in Pontypridd, died in the hospital on March 13 at 64.
What the Court Heard
The court was told Campbell had undergone two liver transplants and bowel surgery at the Royal Free Hospital in London earlier in 2026. The second transplant was a success, but further complications followed. He moved to intensive care after the bowel surgery, and his condition deteriorated rapidly there.
The inquest heard that Campbell had drunk alcohol to excess in the past and had been sober for seven years by the time he died. The inquest also heard he had suffered from hepatitis C, which had been treated.
His son Todd Campbell, who played in his father’s post-Motörhead band, attended the hearing. The hearing gave the family a plain medical account of operations doctors judged necessary, along with the coroner’s judgment that nothing could have changed the outcome.
Coroners convene inquests of this kind in cases of sudden or unexplained death, and courts hear them in the district where the death occurred.
Three Decades With Motörhead
Campbell joined Motörhead in 1984 and stayed until the band disbanded in 2015. He was the band’s second longest-serving member, after bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister, whose real name was Ian Kilmister and who founded the group in 1975. Kilmister died in December 2015, bringing Motörhead to a close.
Campbell stepped into a 1984 lineup that also included guitarist Mick “Wurzel” Burston and drummer Pete Gill, alongside Kilmister. The band had already helped pioneer heavy metal in Britain, with top 10 albums in 1980’s “Ace Of Spades,” 1981’s “No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith” and 1982’s “Iron Fist.”
He played on every Motörhead album from 1986’s “Orgasmatron” through 2015’s “Bad Magic.”
A Late-Career Second Act
Campbell recorded and toured with his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla as Phil Campbell and the B****d Sons after Motörhead ended, and he stayed on the road into his 60s. He canceled shows in February because of health problems. His children have continued with the B****d Sons since his death.
Tributes From Family and Band
The family announced his death in March 2026 on Instagram, in a post carrying a black-and-white photograph of the guitarist with his wife, Gaynor Campbell. The family said he had spent a long period in intensive care following major surgery, and 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.
Motörhead praised him 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.
