Late METALLICA Bassist CLIFF BURTON: 'Rock Iconz' Collectible Statue Coming From KnuckleBonz

KnuckleBonz, Inc. and the Cliff Burton estate have announced a Cliff Burton KnuckleBonz limited-edition collectible statue, with a portion of all proceeds going to the Cliff Burton Music Scholarship Fund for rising youth musicians. Pre-sales now available at knucklebonz.com; only 3,000 available worldwide. The estimated ship date is early 2023.

The Burton family has issued this statement: "Continuing the mission of Cliff's father, the late Ray Burton, the Cliff Burton Foundation is centered on fostering the next generation of musical talent. We handpick young individuals from around the world with the same enthusiasm for music and dedication to their craft as the late bassist Cliff Burton had. The Burton family is proud to have Cliff join the KnuckleBonz Rock Iconz series."

The Cliff Burton Rock Iconz statue is hand-crafted by KnuckleBonz artists using a fine-arts process where each figure is hand-cast, painted and numbered. Each statue comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base. This limited-edition collectible is created in 1/9 scale making statues approximately 8.5 to 9 inches tall. All work created by KnuckleBonz is officially licensed.

KnuckleBonz, the creator of the Rock Iconz music collectible series, has been developing iconic, high-quality statues of rock music legends since 2003.

"Working on this design allowed us to go back to the foundations of thrash and this is our way to pay tribute to the ferocity and brilliance of Cliff Burton," says Tony Simerman, CEO/creative director of KnuckleBonz, Inc. "We are also very excited to be participating in the Cliff Burton Scholarship Fund. Supporting rising music talent is near and dear to our hearts here at KnuckleBonz."

The Cliff Burton Rock Iconz statue is priced at $164 and is currently in production. Pre-orders are available now at knucklebonz.com. The statue is anticipated to ship early 2023; KnuckleBonz will announce a more precise shipping timeframe later this year.

KnuckleBonz, Inc. is a music merchandising company focused on the creation of high-end products for music enthusiasts since 2003. KnuckleBonz is committed to fine craftsmanship and artistry and has developed the Rock Iconz, 3D Vinyl and On Tour collectible series. With a passion for music and a drive to make the highest quality products possible, this collaboration on the music-based craft beer line emphasizes that KnuckleBonz is solely focused on offering quality products specifically for the music superfan.

Cliff was asked to join METALLICA in 1982 after the band saw him perform with his group at the time, TRAUMA.

The bassist was not willing to move to Los Angeles, where METALLICA was based, so they decided to move to the San Francisco area so that he would join.

Burton played on METALLICA's first three studio albums — "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets" — and co-wrote classic songs like "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Creeping Death" and "Master Of Puppets".

Burton's initial replacement in the group was Jason Newsted, who stayed in the lineup until 2001. Robert Trujillo joined in 2003 and remains in the band to this day.

February 10, 2018 was proclaimed "Cliff Burton Day" by Alameda County supervisors. The late METALLICA bassist would have turned 56 years old on that date had he lived.

Burton died in a tragic tour bus accident in 1986.

Cliff's huge talent and achievements were chronicled in book form with the 2009 global publication of "To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton", written by U.K.-based author Joel McIver and published by Jawbone Press. The foreword was provided by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett.