James Hetfield is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who is best known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the famous American heavy metal band, Metallica. Along with the band, he has produced several successful tracks such as Now That We’re Dead, Halo On Fire, Moth into Flame, and many more. He has a huge social media fan base with more than 500k followers on Instagram.
Born Name
James Alan Hetfield
Nick Name
Het, Jaymz, The Het, Papa Het, Mighty Het
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Downey, California, United States
Residence
Vail, Colorado, United States
Nationality
Education
James attended Downey High School.
Occupation
Musician, Songwriter, Producer, Singer
Family
- Father – Virgil Lee Hetfield (Truck Driver)
- Mother – Cynthia Bassett (née Nourse) (Light Opera Singer)
- Siblings – He has a younger sister.
- Others – Virgil Hetfield (Paternal Grandfather), Ralph Carroll Nourse (Maternal Grandfather), Alice Adelaide Gleed (Maternal Grandmother), David (Older Half-Brother). He also has another older half-brother.
Manager
James is represented by Q-Prime Management.
Genre
Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock, Speed Metal
Instruments
Vocals, Guitar, Drums
Labels
- Megaforce Records
- Elektra Records
- Vertigo Records
- Warner Bros. Records Inc.
- Blackened Records
Build
Slim
Height
6 ft 1¼ in or 186 cm
Weight
89 kg or 196 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
James has dated –
- Alycen Rowse – James was linked with a woman named Alycen Rowse in the past.
- Teresa Haynes – After Alycen, he was said to be dating Teresa Haynes.
- Marlo Broaddus (1983) – In 1983, he was in a relationship with Marlo Broaddus.
- Leah Storkson (1984) – James was linked with Leah Storkson in 1984.
- Kristen (1988-1990) – James started dating a woman named Kristen in 1988. The couple dated for almost 2 years before breaking up in 1990.
- Francesca Tomasi (1992-Present) – James began dating Argentinean personality Francesca Tomasi in 1992. The two dated for 5 years before getting married on August 17, 1997. They have 3 children together namely Cali Tee Hetfield (b. June 13, 1998, in San Francisco, California), Castor Virgil Hetfield, (b. May 18, 2000, in San Francisco, California) and Marcella Francesca Hetfield (b. January 17, 2002, in San Francisco, California).
Race / Ethnicity
White
He has English, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
Hair Color
Light Brown
He often tends to dye his hair ‘blonde’.
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Hand Tattoos
- Tall height
Brand Endorsements
- James has done endorsement work for brands like ESP Guitars.
- He also appeared in a TV commercial for Guitar Center in 2014.
Religion
He grew up in a strict Christian household.
Best Known For
Being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the famous American heavy metal band, Metallica
First Album
James released his first studio album Kill ‘Em All along with the band Metallica on July 25, 1983. The album was declared ‘platinum’ by The Recording Industry Association of America, The Australian Recording Industry Association, and Music Canada.
First Film
James made his theatrical film debut in The Darwin Awards as himself in 2006.
First TV Show
He made his first TV show appearance in U as himself in 1993.
James Hetfield Favorite Things
- Childhood Influence – Aerosmith
- Influences – Queen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Misfits, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Rush, Van Halen, Blue Öyster Cult, Scorpions, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Ramones, The Damned, The Stooges, UFO, , Motörhead, S*x Pistols, Venom, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Clash, , MC5, Rainbow, Deep Purple
- American Football Team – Oakland Raiders
- Baseball Team – San Francisco Giants
- Ice Hockey Team – San Jose Sharks
Source –
James Hetfield Facts
- He grew up with strict parents who were Christian Scientists and did not believe in the use of medicine or any other medical treatment.
- At the age of 9, he began to take piano lessons, then played drums and at the age of 14, he learned how to play the guitar.
- His parents got divorced when he was 13 years old and 3 years after their divorce, in 1979, his mother died of cancer.
- His mother was so loyal to her faith that even after being diagnosed with cancer, she did not take medical help.
- He has reflected his upbringing and childhood in the songs like Dyers Eve and The God That Failed.
- After the death of his mother, he went to live with his older half brother.
- As a teenager, he had been part of a few bands such as Leather Charm and Obsession.
- James battled alcohol addiction but now maintains complete abstinence as, since 2002, he has been undergoing a rehab program.
- Some of his ideal interests include hunting, farming, beekeeping, customizing cars and motorcycles in his garage, and going to hot rod shows.
- He is also an avid sports lover and enjoys baseball, American football, and ice hockey.
- One of his prized possessions was the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro which was featured in the music video of I Disappear. It was given to him as a gift after the video was shot. James put the car on eBay and the proceeds were given to a Music for Schools program.
- His first ever signature guitar was by ESP Company, a Japanese guitar manufacturer company.
- Till now, he has used more than 50 different guitars including ESP Eclipse, Ken Lawrence Doubleneck Explorer, Zemaitis GZ Series GZV500MF-MBK, Gibson Firebird, and many more.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / / CC BY-SA 2.0
Facts of James Hetfield
- full nameJames Hetfield
- Date of Birth August 03, 1963
- Age 61 years 2 months
- Horoscope Leo
- Lucky Number 3
- Lucky Stone Ruby
- Lucky Color Gold
- Best Match for Marriage Sagittarius, Gemini, Aries
- weight89 kg
- height6 ft 1¼ in