Metallica honored a fan who died during their concert in Edmonton, Alberta, with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram on Friday.
The heavy metal band — consisting of vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — also shared a photo of the fan, named Lorne ‘Viking.’
“Friday night, August 23rd, we lost a Metallica family member at the show in Edmonton,” the group wrote.
“He died due to health problems. He leaves the earthly body and goes on his way to the next adventure.”
The solemn closing statement read: ‘It is very sad when death strikes, but we are touched that he spent part of his last, hopefully joyful, time with us.’
Metallica honored a fan who died last Friday during their concert in Edmonton, Alberta, with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram; seen in Washington DC in March
The band then offered their “condolences to the family and friends of Lorne ‘Viking.’ With love and respect, Metallica.”
A close friend of ‘Viking’ also confirmed his tragic death on social media earlier this week on Tuesday, explaining that he had experienced ‘medical problems’ halfway through the concert.
“On Friday night at a concert in Edmonton, my friend Lorne suffered a medical issue and was pulled out of the snake pit on a stretcher while the paramedics administered aggressive CPR,” the friend said. written on Facebook.
“Despite all their efforts, Lorne did not survive. Seeing the outpouring of concern and well wishes makes us, who were blessed to call him a friend, feel a little less lost and alone.”
“Thank you to the concert goers for that. He was the kindest soul. We all called him Viking. He will be sorely missed!!”
The message ended with: ‘Put on a Metallica song and raise a glass to the Viking!! Rest in peace my dear friend.’
Another fan had previously died during a Metallica concert in Baltimore in 2000, when someone fell to their death during the Summer Sanitorium Tour.
The group, which formed in Los Angeles in 1981, is currently on the M72 World Tour in promotion of their 2023 album 72 Seasons. The tour is expected to conclude next month on September 29.
“Friday night, August 23rd, we lost a Metallica family member at the show in Edmonton,” the group wrote
The band then expressed their “condolences to the family and friends of Lorne ‘Viking.’ With love and respect, Metallica”
Later this week, Metallica will take the stage in Seattle at Lumen Stadium on Friday, August 30, and again on Sunday, September 1.
The heavy metal band will then perform four more concerts in Mexico City, concluding their world tour.
The group will also perform in LA on December 13 for the AWMH Helping Hands Concert and Auction.
72 Seasons was officially released on April 14 last year and charted in several worldwide charts, including number one on the US Billboard Top Rock Albums and number two on the US Billboard 200.
James Hetfield – who recently said that “rock is dead” – opened up in an interview on the Metallica website about the meaning behind the album’s title.
A close friend of ‘Viking’ also confirmed his tragic death on social media earlier this week on Tuesday, explaining that he had experienced ‘medical issues’ during the concert
The group, which formed in Los Angeles in 1981, is currently on the M72 World Tour in support of their 2023 album 72 Seasons. The tour concludes next month on September 29; earlier this month, the tour hit Massachusetts.
‘Well, 72 seasons, as a concept, that was taken from somewhere else. I mean, it was a concept – it was the “72 seasons of sorrow,” and I left out the “sorrow” part because the first 18 years of life are not all sorrow.’
The singer added: ‘And as adults, we tend to just focus on that, like, ‘I gotta fix all that shit that was wrong when I was a kid. ‘
“There were also great things, so 72 Seasons, everyone has their own version of the 72 seasons and what they mean to them now.”
Hetfield later said, “Holding on to the past hasn’t served me well, but changing the story of my childhood has served me well. And that’s a lifelong process, man.”
When the first single, Lux Æterna, was released, James also shared a statement about the band’s 11th studio album, per Rolling Stone.
James Hetfield spoke out in an interview on the Metallica website about the meaning behind the album’s title; seen in Massachusetts earlier this month
“72 seasons – the first 18 years of our lives that shape our true or false selves,” he began to tell his fans.
‘The concept that our parents told us “who we are”. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.’
The singer and guitarist added: “I think the most interesting thing about this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how they influence our perception of the world today.”
“Much of our adult experience is a reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of the bonds that we carry with us.”