Late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton’s Dawn of the Dead T-shirt has been returned to his family 35 years after his passing.
Burton could often be seen onstage and in photographs donning the shirt (see above), clearly a fan of George A. Romero’s iconic zombie flick. Thankfully, the vintage garment was kept safe for over three decades.
Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin (Cliff’s bandmate in the pre-Metallica group EZ-Street) had the honor of returning the shirt to Burton’s family, who took to Instagram to share the good news.
“A huge Thank You to Mike ‘Puffy’ Bordin for bringing Cliff’s original Dawn of the Dead shirt back home where it belongs,” the post read. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and we appreciate Mike and the person who kept it safe for us for 30 plus years. Our only regret is [Cliff’s late father] Ray [Burton] isn’t here to see it.”
There are a couple of holes, to be expected with a heavily worn vintage tee, but otherwise the shirt is in remarkable condition for its age. It rightfully belongs alongside Burton’s other belongings and ephemera. After all, Metallica guitarist and horror enthusiast Kirk Hammett remarked in a 2012 interview that Dawn of the Dead was Cliff’s “favorite movie.”
Burton played bass on Metallica’s first three albums — Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets — all considered legendary works of thrash metal. Tragically, Burton died in a bus accident while the band was on tour in Sweden on September 27th, 1986. Jason Newsted took over Metallica’s bass duties with the blessing of Burton’s family.
Metallica, meanwhile, played two 40th anniversary shows over the weekend at San Francisco’s Chase Center, each featuring a career-spanning set with a number of deep cuts.
Below you can see Mike Bordin returning Cliff Burton’s Dawn of the Dead shirt in the Instagram post from his family.
