Lars Ulrich broke the sad news that his father Torben Ulrich passed away at the age of 95. The Metallica drummer paid tribute to his dad on Instagram with a carousel of photos taken throughout his dad's long life.
"Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023," he wrote. "95 years of adventures, unique experiences, curiosity, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, tennis, music, art, writing….and quite a bit of Danish contrarian attitude. Thank you endlessly! I love you dad"
The elder Ulrich became a legend to Metallica fans after his appearance in the band's Some Kind of Monster documentary, which followed the recording of 2003's St. Anger. When asked his opinion after hearing a song snippet in the studio, Torben famously said "I would delete that."
Torben, who was an artist himself (as well as a professional tennis player), liked to challenge his son and the band. “I think he appreciates Metallica, especially when we’re daring and a little unorthodox, when we play strange sideways tempos … He appreciates that side of it,” said Lars in a 2017 interview with SoundBox (via Consequence). “When we play a little straighter and a little safer he raises an eyebrow.”
See Lars' touching tribute to his father below.