Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Pays Tribute to Tennis Pro Dad Dead at 95

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich took to Instagram on Wednesday to pay tribute to his father, onetime tennis pro Torben Ulrich, who died at the age of 95.

“Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023. 95 years of adventures, unique experiences, curiosity, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, tennis, music, art, writing….and quite a bit of Danish contrarian attitude,” Lars wrote. “Thank you endlessly! I love you dad.”

The message accompanied a 10-photo carousel of images, beginning with a photo of the bearded Torben from his later years. The photo collection also included a cover shot from a January 1976 edition of Pastimes, featuring Torben in action on the court along with the headline: “The Ageless Guru of Tennis.” Also included were some sweet photos of young Lars with his father; a pic of Torben playing a clarinet; smoking; and a recent photo of the father and son together.

Some of Lars Ulrich’s celebrity friends posted messages of condolences.

Professional skateboarder Christian Hosoi wrote, “Sending condolences, prayers, love and God’s grace to comfort you and your family … 🙏🏽✝️🙏🏽”

“So sorry for your loss brother,” wrote Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron.

Green Day  bassist Mike Dirnt offered the emojis “🙏🏽♥️ 🎶” while ex-Skid Road singer Sebastian Bach wrote, “Your dad was cool as fck. i would say 'delete that'. completely legendary 😂 your Dad will always be by your side 🙌”

Aside from his career in professional tennis, Torben Ulrich also worked as a poet, a radio and print journalist, a painter, filmmaker and musician. In 2021, at the age of 92, he released Oakland moments: cello, voice, reuniting (rejoicing), a collaboration with composer/musician Lori Goldston, known for her work with Nirvana.

In a 2016 interview with Vice, Lars spoke about his relationship with his father.

“My dad was a professional tennis player. When I attempted to follow in his footsteps into the tennis world for a couple of years, he looked a bit miffed because I'm not sure he thought that I was talented enough,” Lars said. “He was very encouraging and very open-minded, and I certainly did not have the kind of parents who would have suggested doing anything else other than where my heart was at. Actually, contrary to most rock 'n' roll stories, my parents were cool — they were my best friends. There was nothing there to rebel against or stick my middle finger at. It wasn't until I came to America and I met all the people in Southern California that I started understanding this whole thing about rebelling against your parents. That was not part of my agenda when I was growing up.”