While on their European tour, on sept, 27th 1986 Cliff Burton was tragically killed when Metallica's tour bus hit black ice and flipped over in Sweden. As the bus was skidding and rolling, Cliff  fell out of a window and was crushed by the bus.  

 

I remember when that happened. I sure didn't seem like 20 years ago.

Rest in Peace, Cliff.

Definitely a huge influence on me.
 

Cliff Burton has inspired a lot of people for sure. Besides being a great bass player, from all accounts it seems he was a real nice and down to earth person, too. I always feel sad that he never got the chance to realize his full potential. Still, he managed to make quite an impact with the time he had. RIP.  
Jason