Torben Ulrich, Father of Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Dies

Torben Ulrich, professional tennis player, was the father of Lars Ulrich, the drummer of Metallica. He died at the age of 95.

Torben Ulrich, Danish tennis player, jazzman and father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, has died at the age of 95.

Lars announced the death of his father on social media on Wednesday: “ Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023. 95 years of adventure, unique experiences, curiosity, pushing boundaries, questioning the status quo, tennis, music, art, writing….and a healthy dose of non-conformist attitude Danish. Thank you so much ! I love you dad “. The caption was accompanied by a series of photos of her father, including a black and white portrait, a magazine cover naming him ” the ageless tennis guru », and photos of Lars as a child with Torben.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich)

Torben, who gained a reputation as Metallica’s harshest critic, is best known to metal fans for his scene in the documentary Some Kind Of Monster (2004). When asked for his opinion on a new song during the writing sessions for what would become the album St. Anger in 2003, his father responded emphatically: “ I would say: delete that “.

During an interview with WECB In 1995, Lars spoke of his childhood surrounded by his father’s love of jazz and other musicians: ” My father has always been surrounded by music. He hung out with Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, Dexter Gordon. Dexter Gordon was my godfather. I played with Neneh Cherry when we were little. His stepfather, Don Cherry, lived six houses away from us in Copenhagen. These types of people were always around. Although tennis was his main source of income, my father also wrote about jazz in Copenhagen newspapers. Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman were always playing on the house stereo. Later, it was the Doors and Jimi Hendrix. »

In 2021, Torben released his own jazz album at the age of 92. Titled Oakland Moments: Cello, Voice, Reuniting (Rejoicing)the project features him alongside cellist and composer Lori Goldston.