Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich’s beloved father, Torben Ulrich, passed away at the age of 95 on December 20, 2023. Lars broke the disheartening news of the death of his father through an Instagram post on Wednesday on his profile with an overwhelming paragraph in tribute to the death of the tennis player and a few pictures that contain their memory together.
Torben Ulrich spent his life in Denmark from the 1940s to the 1980s as a professional tennis player. Apart from being a tennis player, he has also indulged in many other life-exploring activities. He was a Danish writer who collaborated with jazz magazines and newspapers like “Information and Politiken.”
Torben also showcased his multitasking skills by appearing in films like The Motion Picture (1969), “The Ball and the Wall” (1988), “Body & Being: Before the Wall” (2002), and others.
Lars Ulrich on the death of Torben Ulrich
While opening up about the death of his father, Lars quoted the post with a caption that says, “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.” While remembering the adventures of life, Lars ended the passage by saying, “Thank you endlessly! I love you, dad.”
The post had a series of photographs of his father, among which one was his childhood picture with Torben, and the other was a black-and-white Pastimes magazine cover photoshoot of Torben with the name “The Ageless Guru of Tennis” on top of it.
After Lars made the post, other celebrities and fans also sent condolences to the Ulrich family. Matt Sorum commented on the posts, saying, “Your relationship was always inspiring to me; thank you for sharing him with the world. Condolences to the entire Ulrich family.”
In 1995, during an interaction with the Rolling Stones, Lars shared about growing up in an atmosphere filled with his father’s and other musicians’ love for jazz. Lars said, “My dad was always around music”.
As a child, Lars used to hang out with Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, and Dexter Gordon. He and Neneh Cherry were close when they were little kids. Lars referred to Dexter Gordon as his godfather.
While discussing his father’s love for music, Lars said, “Those types of people were always around”. Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Doors, and Jimi Hendrix always accompanied Torben at his house and played stereo around the house. Tennis was Torben’s main source of income, but he was also a Danish writer and wrote about jazz in the papers in Copenhagen.
Who was Torben Ulrich?
Torben Ulrich, the son of Einer Ulrich (a tennis player), served as one of the finest tennis players during the 1940s and 1980s. In 1951, he won a singles title at the Antwerp International on red clay, and once again in 1956, he won against Jacques Brichant in the final.
After signing with the World Championship Tennis in early 1969, Ulrich, at the age of 40, became a professional tennis player and played more than 100 Davis Cup matches for Denmark. While acing his career as a tennis player, the multiskilled Ulrich also indulged in writing Danish jazz magazines and was also a co-editor of the Bazar magazine.
Furthermore, Ulrich also gained goodwill as one of Metallica’s toughest critics after his scene from the 2004 documentary “Some Kind of Monster”. He became well renowned among metal fans with the famous line “Delete That.” During the writing sessions, when a point of view was asked for what would become 2003’s St. Anger record, Ulrich pointedly said, “I would say, delete that.”
In 2021, at the age of 92, Ulrich successfully released his own jazz album with the title Oakland Moments: Cello, Voice, and Reuniting. He featured himself alongside the composer Lori Goldston and the cellist in this project.
Torben Ulrich was one of the world’s inspirations. In 2006, he was honored with an award from the Klara Karolines Fond “for his inspiration to artists of many kinds and for his views on athletics, art, and existence.” Through his journey, he has set an example of “when you will, there’s a way” by being a successful tennis player and jazz musician as well.
