In 1986, Metallica was one of the biggest bands in heavy metal music. They had just signed a deal with a big record company and released an album called Master of Puppets that lots of people loved. It was their third album, and it sold over six million copies. The band’s bass player, Cliff Burton, helped make the album special by playing his bass guitar in a new way—not just keeping the beat, but adding beautiful melodies like a lead guitar.
Metallica traveled all over the world to play concerts for their fans, including many shows in Europe. But something terrible happened during that tour. On September 26, 1986, while the band was in Sweden, Cliff and another band member, Kirk Hammett, played a card game to pick their sleeping spots on the tour bus. Cliff won with a card called the Ace of Spades and chose Kirk’s bunk. Kirk was okay with it and said, “Fine, take my bunk. I’ll sleep up front.”
Early the next morning, around 7 a.m. on September 27, the bus started swerving. The driver said he hit a patch of slippery ice, causing the bus to slide off the road and flip over. Cliff, who was sleeping in the top bunk, was thrown out of a window. When the bus landed, it fell on top of him. People tried to lift the bus with a crane to save him, but the crane slipped, and the bus crashed down again. Sadly, Cliff, who was only 24 years old, died right there. Some say he passed away when he was thrown out, while others think it was when the bus fell again.
James Hetfield, the band’s singer, didn’t believe there was ice on the road. He walked around in his socks and underwear looking for it but found nothing. Over the years, the band wondered if the driver was tired or if something else caused the crash. Investigators said the driver wasn’t to blame.
Cliff’s body was turned into ashes, and they were spread at a place called Maxwell Ranch in California. At his memorial, Metallica played a song called “Orion,” and words from another song, “To Live Is to Die,” were put on his stone: “Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation take me home.” Other musicians, like Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and the band Anthrax, made songs and albums to honor Cliff after he died. In 2009, Cliff was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica, even though he was no longer alive.
Master of Puppets was a huge success, but losing Cliff was a heartbreaking moment for Metallica and their fans. He was a talented musician gone too soon, and people still remember him today.
