Last Friday (August 23), Metallica's ongoing world tour behind 2023's 72 Seasons came through town to Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium — an exciting occasion sadly marred by the death of a fan in attendance. The band have now paid tribute to the late concertgoer on their social media channels.
"Friday night, August 23rd, in Edmonton we lost a Metallica family member at the show," the band wrote in the caption of a photo of the deceased, a Canadian fan named Lorne, who was also known as "Viking." They continued, "He died due to health conditions. Leaving the earthly body and onto the next adventure. Very sad when death happens, but we're touched that he spent some of his final, hopefully joyful, time with us."
"Our condolences to the family and friends of Lorne 'Viking,'" Metallica added. "With Love and Respect, Metallica."
Lorne passed away mid-performance at the Commonwealth Stadium show. As someone who claims to have been his friend said in a fan group on Facebook, he "suffered a medical issue and was taken out of the snake pit on a stretcher while EMS did aggressive CPR," referring to the reserved VIP floor section at the front of the band's concerts. No further information about Lorne's cause of death has been reported as of this writing.
See Metallica's tribute below.