Metallica’s ‘Stranger Things’ Moment Will Add Even More Riches to James Hetfield’s Net Worth

You won’t find a bigger, more successful metal band in the world than Metallica. The band has released 10 studio albums and eight live albums, selling 150 million units around the world.

In 2022, they’re reaching a whole new generation of fans through their song “Master of Puppets,” which was a big plot point in the season 4 finale of “Stranger Things.”

The combined net worth of all Metallica’s band members is nearly $1 billion, but let’s take a closer look at James Hetfield’s net worth as well as those of the other three band members.

Net worth: $350 million 

Bottom line: As the richest member of Metallica, Lars Ulrich has earned his wealth solely from recording and touring with Metallica and makes about $30 million a year. The drummer was born in Denmark in 1963 and was well on his way to being a pro tennis player, but his love of music was something he couldn’t ignore.

He moved to California at just 17 and put an ad in “The Recycler” (think of it as Craigslist on paper) that said, “Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden.” James Hetfield was the first to respond, and together, they formed Metallica in 1981. 

Ulrich owns plenty of real estate — he owns several California homes in Los Angeles and around San Francisco. In 1993, he purchased two homes next door to each other in Marin County’s Tiburon, California, for $6 million and acquired a third home to create a 2-acre compound. He sold all three in October 2019 for $12 million.

He also owns a luxury car collection and is an avid collector of mid-century and minimalist art works. He previously owned paintings by Jean Michel Basquiat.

Net worth: $300 million 

Bottom line: James Hetfield was born in Downey, California, in 1963. He is the co-founder of Metallica, and as such, he is the second wealthiest member. He, too, makes most of his money from touring and recording. 

Hetfield lives in Vail, Colorado — in 2017, he purchased an 11,509-square-foot home for $23 million. He also owns property in Maui, Hawaii, and he donated property in Marin County, California, that he once lived on. The story goes that he wanted to develop the Marin County property located near Skywalker Ranch, but neighbors objected. He abandoned the project in 2011 and pulled up stakes in California for Colorado. He and his wife, Francesca, later donated 1,100 of their 1,500 acres to the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. 

In 2021, he sold deal 20 acres of land in Pima County, Arizona, to the Rosemont Copper Company in a straight-cash deal for $1.2 million. 

Hetfield also has a massive car collection that consists of 11 custom vehicles, including a 1932 Ford Roadster, a 1934 Packard, a 1948 Jaguar “Black Pearl,” the 1961 Lincoln Continental “Dead Kennedy” and a 1967 Chevy Camaro, among others. The collection is on display at LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, until 2023.