Died On This Date (September 27, 1986) Cliff Burton / Metallica
themusicsover Cliff Burton
February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986
Cliff Burton was the bassist for thrash metal band, Mettalica from 1982 to 1986. Burton was still in high school when he formed his first band, EZ-Street. But it was in 1982 that he would be asked to join the band that would eventually become one of the most successful hard rock bands in history. Burton was playing for a band called Trauma and their tour brought them to the famed Whiskey club on the Sunset Strip. In the audience were Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich who were so impressed they asked Burton to join the band and moved to the Bay Area because he didn’t want to relocate to Los Angeles. Burton played on the band’s first three albums, Kill ’em All, Ride the Lightning, and their major label debut, Master of Puppets, which is considered by many to be the album that brought thrash metal into the mainstream. While touring Europe to promote Master of Puppets, the band’s driver lost control of their tour bus, causing it to roll, and thus tossing the sleeping Burton out of a window. The bus landed on Burton who was crushed to death at the age of 24.
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