“One rainy night in December

“Less than a month before the tragic passing of the legendary artist and frontman of the band Motörhead, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, we shot a milk commercial with him at a gas station, during a rainy Helsinki night. Lemmy of course did a fantastic job; he was simply himself – and we were in awe. This was our magical moment with true rock’n’roll royalty and we are immensely proud and happy to now share it with the world – as a fitting tribute to the one and only Lemmy…”

This is the beginning of Finnish dairy company, Valio’s, tribute website to Lemmy.

The ad, by Hasan & Partners, reimagines a 20-year old Finnish ad for the Dairy Nutrition Council of Finland.

The man exiting the bar states that he doesn’t drink milk and never will.

In Valio’s ad, Lemmy exits a petrol-station bar and says the same line. He then adds, “you arsehole,” and grins.

Lemmy was filmed for a Valio ad in Maunula, Finland, in early December. He went on to do a gig with Motorhead after the ad.

Less than one month later, he died of cancer at the age of 70. Hasan & Partners turned their footage into a tribute ad.

Jussi Lindholm, chief operating officer at Hasan & Partners, explained, “We were in the middle of post production when the news about Lemmy broke. We are profoundly grateful to have worked with him and that Lemmy’s management feel good about the result.

“We discussed not airing the ad but had footage that was not part of the original script, which crystallised Lemmy’s spirit, so we agreed to change it and make a tribute.”

The ad was created by Lindholm and Eka Ruola, chief executive officer & chief creative officer of Hasan & Partners Group

It was directed by Markus Virpiö, who also shot the original ad for the Dairy Nutrition Council of Finland.

The following comment was added to the YouTube version of the ad:

“This is offered in celebration of the life of a lovely, exceptional man – a man who celebrated life so vibrantly himself. We were first shooting a remake of an iconic Finnish milk ad. The tone of this ad that was shot a month ago was changed to make it a heartfelt tribute, however modest. A take that came late in the shoot was selected – one of Lemmy’s brilliant improv moments that was never in the script. This was our magical encounter with a great man – and we’re honoured to share it with the world. Thank you.”