Metallica pay tribute to fan who died at their concert: 'We lost a Metallica family member'
The band members said they were touched that the concertgoer "spent some of his final, hopefully joyful, time with us."
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Kirk Hammett, Lars Urich, James Hetfield, and Robert Trujillo of Metallica performing in Las Vegas in 2022The members of Metallica are paying their respects to a fan who died at one of their concerts in Canada last week.
In a somber social media post Wednesday, the heavy metal band acknowledged the death of a man named Lorne, also known by his nickname "Viking," at their Aug. 23 show at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. "We lost a Metallica family member at the show," they wrote.
The post noted that Lorne died "due to health conditions" but did not disclose a specific cause of death. "Leaving the earthly body and onto the next adventure," the post continued. "Very sad when death happens, but we're touched that he spent some of his final, hopefully joyful, time with us."
Metallica also offered "condolences to the family and friends of Lorne 'Viking.'"
Representatives for the Edmonton Police Service and Commonwealth Stadium confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that police and Emergency Medical Services tended to a person at the concert in medical distress who was then transported to a hospital. No further details were available.
Reps for Metallica didn't immediately respond to EW's request for further comment.
The incident was not the first time a Metallica fan died at one of the band's shows. In 2000, a 21-year-old attendee fell to his death at the groups Baltimore concert during the Summer Sanitarium tour. Over the last two years, fans have also died at concerts by Taylor Swift, GloRilla, and Kenny Chesney.
Related: The 15 best Metallica songs
Metallica are currently in the midst of their M72 World Tour, supporting the 2023 album 72 Seasons. The band has just six more tour dates left on the current schedule — two in Seattle and four in Mexico City, where the tour will wrap on Sept. 29.
[This article has been updated with information from Edmonton police and Commonwealth Stadium.]
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
