METALLICA’s Cliff Burton – widely considered the greatest bassist in heavy metal music history – lost his life tragically on this date today twenty-seven years ago. He was only 24 years of age. The accident happened on September 27, 1986 while the band was on tour between dates in Sweden and their bus lost control due to what the driver claimed to be ‘black ice’ on the road, which threw Burton out through the window from the bunk he was sleeping on, pinning him under the overturned vehicle. It is believed he was killed instantly.
Having played on the first three METALLICA studio albums, Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets, Cliff Burton would later be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009 as a member of METALLICA. His father Ray Burton attended the ceremony and accepted the honor for his son.
His skills and talent on the bass far exceeded his years and it was his uncanny understanding of musical composition that helped METALLICA become one of the biggest rock music acts ever. Sure he has been gone for nearly three decades now but his legend lives on in all the youngsters today who pick up the bass guitar for the first time to most certainly learn something by Cliff.
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