His manager Todd Singerman this week revealed that Lemmy had become too frail to sit through interviews and soundchecks during his final tour. Drummer Mikkey Dee said his colleague had "spent all his energy" on the road in December.

Despite looking unwell and tired, Lemmy was in good spirits during the ZDF interview. Asked if he planned to keep performing, he joked: "After death? No. I'll have to stop then, I think. You never know� I could haunt somewhere. Mess up somebody else's gig. Tears For Fears or somebody - appear in the middle of it and go, 'Everybody out!'"

He said of his band's longevity: "40 years is a joke. It's ridiculous. The press didn't like us. They gave us six months to live. They're all gone and I'm still here. Too bad."