CLIFF BURTON (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986)

Today marks the anniversary of the passing of Cliff Burton, the original bassist for Metallica. 

During the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour the band complained that the sleeping cubicles on their tour bus were uncomfortable and in order to decide who was getting the pick of the bunks, Kirk Hammett and Cliff drew cards.  On the evening of September 26, 1986, Cliff had won the game with an Ace of Spades and asked to sleep in Kirk's bunk. He was asleep when at several minutes before 7 am, on the 27^th, when the bus skidded off of the road and flipped.  Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him, crushing him to his death.

James Hetfield later stated that he first believed the bus flipped because the driver was drunk, claiming his breath smelled of alcohol after the accident. Hetfield also stated that he himself walked long distances down the road looking for black ice and found none.

Police detective Arne Pettersson was reported in a local newspaper to have said the pattern of the tracks at the accident site were exactly like ones seen when drivers fall asleep at the wheel. However the driver stated under oath that he had slept during the day and was fully rested and the driver of the second tour bus confirmed his testimony.  The driver was determined not at fault for the accident and no charges were brought against him.

Burton was a Bay Area native who had dedicated himself to excellence on the instrument in honor of his brother, who had passed away when Cliff was 13.  When his band Trauma played the Whisky a Go Go in 1982, two audience members (James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich) were so struck by his solo abilities that they initially mistook it for a guitar solo. When they actually saw who was playing, they couldn’t believe it was a bassist. They asked Cliff to join the band, but he refused not wanting to move from his home in the bay area.  It took a bit of convincing and a move for Metallica from L.A. to the San Francisco Bay Area, but eventually Cliff joined the band.

On April 4, 2009, Cliff Burton was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with the rest of Metallica. During the ceremony, the induction was accepted by Cliff's father, Ray Burton, who shared the stage with the band and mentioned that Cliff's mother was actually Metallica's biggest fan.