24th Anniversary of Cliff Burton's Death

Stockholm, Sweden was the 13th stop on the European tour, for those of you seeking omens in this tale. After the show, the band climbed aboard their tour bus to head south to the next gig. For the previous few weeks, the group had complained to one another about how uncomfortable the bus was to sleep in. It had gotten to the point where the band had taken to cutting cards to see who would get the better bunk. On the night of September 26th, Cliff Burton drew the Ace of Spades (still there, omen-seekers?) and chose Kirk Hammett's bunk.

Around 7 a.m. on September 27, Metallica's tour bus careened off the road and flipped onto the grass near tiny D�rarp, in southern Sweden. Burton was thrown through a window and was crushed to death when the bus rolled over on him. The driver claimed he had hit a patch of black ice and lost control. Hetfield claimed the driver was drunk. A detective on the scene said the tracks indicated the driver might have fallen asleep. Whatever the truth was, no charges were filed.
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