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Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesRay Burton, the father of late Metallica bass player Cliff Burton, passed away last week at age 94, and the band is paying tribute to him in a series of statements on their website.

“For 38 years, we were lucky enough to have the energy, wisdom and light of Ray in our lives,” the band states. “His eternal youth with his drive, positivity and relentless smile were both incredibly powerful and stirringly honest.”

“From coast to coast and overseas too, Ray’s beaming face would regularly greet us, offering warmth and anchor to our travels, and when it came to the entire Metallica family, band, crew and fans, he viewed us all as his own.”

Each band member penned a separate tribute to Burton.  James Hetfield wrote a poem that reads, in part, “To his last breath, I’ve not met a more positive man/And to his son there was not a more loyal fan/So he leaves the material world to be with his sons and wife/I feel so very blessed to have had him grace my life.”

Lars Ulrich wrote, in part, “Thank you for giving the world the gift of Cliff and his unique talents. I’m honored and humbled to have played and stood beside him.” 

Robert Trujillo noted, “Ray is the father we all want, or need to have; his positive energy, and support for how and what we do is a powerful gift that he blessed us with.” And Kirk Hammett wrote simply, “May you finally be with Cliff and Jan.”

Burton died in 1986 in a bus crash at age 24.  As Billboard notes, in 2017, Mr. Burton announced that he’d donated the royalties from Cliff’s Metallica recordings to the music scholarship program at Cliff’s alma mater, Castro Valley High School.

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