Cliff Burton

Metallica were on top of the metal world in 1986. But the band's year ended with a crushing blow after bassist Cliff Burton died in a bus accident while touring overseas.

With the 28th anniversary of Cliff Burton's tragic death arriving today, the Metallica bassist's legacy looms large for fans and friends -- including Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.

We remember Cliff Burton with our picks for the Top 10 songs from his time in Metallica.

Metallica's Cliff Burton is one of the most beloved figures in the history of hard rock and metal and his memory lives on with the legacy of the band's early albums. One of the future rockers who was influenced by the work of Burton and his Metallica bandmates was Machine Head's Robb Flynn, who posted a new journal entry reflecting on what Burton meant to him in honor of the celebration of the bas

This is the time of year when musicians begin salivating, as the annual NAMM Convention is set for this coming weekend -- Jan. 24 - 27 -- in Anaheim. One of the items guaranteed to be turning some heads is the new Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass, designed with the consent of the late Metallica bassist's family and bandmates.

The world of Metallica was rocked on Sept. 27, 1986, when the band's bassist -- Cliff Burton -- was killed in a bus accident. He joined up with the group just four years earlier, but in that time, provided an immense amount of influence on the sound that has made them famous...

Today (Feb. 10) would have been the 50th birthday of former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, had his life not ended far too early. Burton performed on the band’s first three classic studio albums, and his influence is still felt strongly in the worlds of rock, thrash and metal.