Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died in a 1986 tour bus crash in Sweden.
Burton was killed on September 27, 1986, while Metallica were touring Europe in support of Master of Puppets. The crash occurred near Dörarp, in Sweden’s Kronoberg County, when the band’s bus left the road and overturned.
Burton had been sleeping in a bunk without a safety restraint. He was thrown through a window, and the bus landed on him. He was 24 years old. The driver attributed the crash to black ice, though James Hetfield and a local photographer later questioned whether ice was actually present.
Burton’s death profoundly changed Metallica. He received posthumous writing credit on “To Live Is to Die” from ...And Justice for All, and Metallica’s later lineup included Jason Newsted as his replacement. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica in 2009.