Metallica honored a fan who passed away at their Edmonton concert in Alberta last week on Friday with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram.
The heavy metal band – which consists 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, in Edmonton we lost a Metallica family member at the show,’ the group penned.
‘He died due to health conditions. Leaving the earthly body and onto the next adventure.’
In conclusion, the solemn statement read, ‘Very sad when death happens, but we’re touched that he spent some of his final, hopefully joyful, time with us.’
Metallica honored a fan who passed away at their Edmonton concert in Alberta last week on Friday with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram; seen in March in Washington D.C.
The band then sent their ‘condolences to the family and friends of Lorne ‘Viking.’ With Love and Respect, Metallica.’
A close friend of ‘Viking’ also took to social media earlier this week on Tuesday to confirm his tragic death and explained he had ‘suffered a medical issue’ mid-concert.
‘Edmonton concert on Friday night, my friend Lorne suffered a medical issue and was taken out of the snake pit on a stretcher while EMS did aggressive CPR,’ the friend penned on Facebook.
‘Despite all their efforts, Lorne did not survive. Seeing the outpouring of concern and well wishes makes us that were blessed to call him 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 missed terribly!!’
The post concluded with, ‘Please crank up a Metallica song, and raise a glass for the Viking!! RIP my dear friend.’
Another fan previously passed away at a Metallica concert in Baltimore back in 2000 when an individual fell to their death during the Summer Sanitorium Tour.
The group – which was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 – is currently in the midst of the M72 World Tour to support the 2023 album 72 Seasons, and is slated to come to an end next month on September 29.
‘Friday night, August 23rd, in Edmonton we lost a Metallica family member at the show,’ the group penned
The band then sent their ‘condolences to the family and friends of Lorne ‘Viking.’ With Love and Respect, Metallica’
Later this week, Metallica will take to the stage in Seattle at Lumen Stadium on Friday, August 30, and again Sunday, September 1.
The heavy metal band will then perform four additional dates in Mexico City – concluding the world tour.
The group is also set to perform on December 13 in L.A. for the AWMH Helping Hands Concert and Auction.
72 Seasons was officially released last year on April 14 – and landed on various global charts, such as number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums and number two on the U.S. Billboard 200.
James Hetfield – who recently said ‘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 took to social media earlier this week on Tuesday to confirm his tragic death and explained he had ‘suffered a medical issue’ mid-concert
The group – which was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 – is currently in the midst of the M72 World Tour to support the 2023 album 72 Seasons, and is slated to come to an end next month on September 29; seen earlier this month in Massachusetts
‘Well, 72 seasons, as a concept, that’s been digested from somewhere else. Meaning it was a concept – it was the “72 seasons of sorrow,” and I dropped the “sorrow” part off because the first 18 years of life aren’t all sorrow.’
The singer added, ‘And we tend to just focus on that in our adult life, like, “I need to fix all the s*** that was wrong when I was a kid.”‘
‘There was great stuff as well, so 72 Seasons, everyone’s got their version of what their 72 seasons were and what they mean to them now.’
Hetfield later expressed, ‘Hanging onto the past hasn’t served me well, but changing the narrative of my childhood has been helpful. And that’s a lifelong process, man.’
At the time the first single, Lux Æterna, was dropped, James also shared a statement about the band’s 11th studio album, per Rolling Stone.
James Hetfield opened up in an interview on the Metallica website about the meaning behind the album’s title; seen earlier this month in Massachusetts
’72 seasons – the first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves,’ he began to his fans.
‘The concept that we were told “who we are” by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.’
The vocalist and guitarist added, ‘I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects 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 those bondages we carry.’