"He would have a huge smile on his face upon receiving this honor."
Cliff Burton, bassist for the original Metallica lineup, was honored in his hometown of Castro Valley, California with the creation of "Cliff Burton Day" on what would have been his birthday, February 10th.
The initiative was created by Metallica fans through a petition on the Change.org , which gathered thousands of signatures.
Now, the bassist's father, Ray Burton, has spoken out about the tribute and confessed that he believes Cliff would be very happy: "I have no doubt that if Cliff were alive, he would have a huge smile on his face upon receiving this honor."
He goes on to say that his son's birthday has always been very important to him and now he is "very happy to share this day with everyone in Castro Valley".
The announcement of the official holiday was made on Metallica's social media, where they thanked the fans who participated in the petition.
"It's official! The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has just proclaimed that February 10, 2018, the date that would have marked Cliff's 56th birthday, is now 'Cliff Burton Day.' Thank you to all the fans who were a part of this. We love that he continues to be revered."
IT'S OFFICIAL! The Board of Supervisors from Alameda County has just proclaimed February 10, 2018, which would have been Cliff's 56th birthday, “Cliff Burton Day.” Thanks to all of the fans who got behind this initiative. We love that he remains so revered. pic.twitter.com/Qxy0yFptSS
— Metallica (@Metallica) February 6, 2018
