James Hetfield just paid tribute to his late friend, Cliff Burton.
As the iconic band’s Australian tour continues Enter Sandman hitmakers are currently in Melbourne to perform at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
Ahead of the anticipated performance, in a sweet gesture for his friend, James headed to Melbourne’s iconic AC/DC Lane, where a mural depicting the band’s founding bassist was being completed.
On Metallica’s official Instagram page, the uploaded photo shows James proudly standing next to the mural next to one of its creators.
The mural featured Cliff set against a lightning backdrop and the names of the artists – Maid (Liquid Pastels) and Ling written in Metallica’s iconic font.
“Visiting an old friend in Melbourne,” James captioned the photo, adding: “Great mural.”
Cliff Burton was a founding member of Metallica and played on the band’s first three studio albums – Kill them all, Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets.
He was tragically killed in 1986 in a bus accident in Sweden while the band was on tour, and was then replaced by Jason Newsted, who served until 2001 before being replaced by Robert Trujillo in 2003.
Metallica fans flooded the comments sections over James Hetfield’s gesture, with many praising the artwork.
One fan commented, “Even after nearly 40 years, Metallica’s members still remember a lost brother in the most beautiful way.”
“I really respect them for reminding us how important friendship is,” wrote another.
