Cliff Burton

Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for thrash metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on the band’s first three albums, Kill ‘Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), and Master of Puppets (1986).

While touring Europe in support of Master of Puppets in 1987, Burton died in a tour bus accident in Sweden. Regarded as a prominent musical influence, he placed ninth in a 2011 reader poll from Rolling Stone recognizing the greatest bassists of all time.[1] He was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Metallica in 2009.