Heavy metal band Metallica shared a tribute following the death of Michael Tilson Thomas, the legendary conductor and composer who spearheaded the group's landmark "S&M2" collaborative concerts.
Thomas, a 12-time Grammy Award winner who served as the San Francisco Symphony's musical director for 25 years, died Wednesday at his San Francisco home at age 81 following a battle with brain cancer.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Metallica's band members described the conductor, affectionately known as MTT, as a "towering figure" and a "driving force" behind their symphonic partnership.
"It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas," the band wrote, emphasizing that their work together provided a significant educational experience for the group.
"We cherished our time with MTT and learned so much working with him to prepare the S&M2 performances; it was a very high honor to have him on the podium for our shows," the tribute continued. "He will be sorely missed."
The collaboration in 2019 marked a departure from the band's previous symphonic work.
While their 1999 "S&M" shows used an orchestra for accompaniment, Thomas integrated classical repertoire into the setlist, including Sergei Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite" and Alexander Mosolov's "The Iron Foundry."
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich recalled that the creative process began at the band's headquarters a week before rehearsals.
"The minute MTT suggested it, the whole thing just oozed rock collaboration," Ulrich told Rolling Stone in 2019, noting how the band eventually locked into the orchestral arrangements.
Guitarist Kirk Hammett described the experience of watching the symphony build the sound of an "industrial machine," though he noted he was "too late to the game" to insert a guitar solo into the classical pieces.
For his part, Thomas viewed the partnership as a natural bridge between eras, citing elements of "primitivism" and "futurism" in the Soviet-period pieces that mirrored Metallica's own sound and style.
He spoke to Rolling Stone in 2019 about the unique energy of the collaboration, noting that the orchestra had to adjust to the volume of 19,000 fans.
"Before the song even begins, we're experiencing what we would normally think of as a standing ovation," Thomas said at the time.
Metallica's tribute also credited Thomas with developing contemporary music through his relationships with living composers during his decades-long career.
Thomas, who received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, announced in February 2025 that a previously treated brain tumor had returned.
His spokesperson, Connie Shuman, confirmed he died at home after conducting his final performance with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025.
Hammett remarked on the power of the orchestral arrangements, noting it was "amazing just to watch the orchestra go through all the different cycles of it and build it up so it sounds like an industrial machine."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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