Cliff Burton was born February 10, 1962 in Castro Valley, California. He started playing the piano at age six. In 1976, when he was 14, Cliff started taking bass guitar lessons from a local music teacher. He is best known for his work with Metallica as their bassist from 1982-1986. On September 27, 1986 Burton was killed in a bus accident in Sweden while Metallica was touring there. The death of Burton inspired many songs including one by Megadeth titled "In My Darkest Hour". Unlike some bassists, Burton did not use a guitar pick while playing the bass.

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