On this day 40 years ago, Metallica’s iconic bassist Cliff Burton died tragically. On the night of 27 September 1986, while Metallica were touring Europe to celebrate the success of Master of Puppets, the band’s coach skidded on a patch of black ice on a road in Sweden and overturned completely. Cliff Burton, who was sleeping in the top bunk, was thrown out of the window and the vehicle ended up landing on top of him. Hours earlier, Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett had played cards to decide who would get that bunk. Cliff drew the ace of spades and chose the spot where Kirk was sleeping. They tried to rescue him by lifting the coach with a crane, but it slipped and the vehicle fell back onto him, killing him at the age of 24. James Hetfield was devastated, weeping and smashing everything around him that night. The bassist, whose virtuoso style had defined the sound of albums such as Master of Puppets, left a void that would forever shape the band’s history.