September 27, 1986 was a warm sunny morning as I was getting ready to head off to school. I sat down at the kitchen table and opened the local newspaper. A tiny article caught my eye, I read the headline “Metallica Guitarist Killed”. This blew my 17-year-old mind. I really couldn’t wrap my brain around the reality of it. It seemed so senseless. This was the first time in my life that someone who had contributed something of value to my life had died. I was crestfallen.

A musical titan was lost that day and Metallica hasn’t been the same. RIP Cliff.