METALLICA has paid tribute to conductor, composer and educator Michael Tilson Thomas, who led the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years.

Thomas died on Wednesday, April 22, nearly five years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that doctors later identified as glioblastoma multiforme, at his home in San Francisco, according to a statement from his publicist, Constance Shuman.

He was 81 years old.,METALLICA first teamed with the San Francisco Symphony in 1999 for the live album "S&M", four years after Thomas became the symphony's music director.

In 2019, Thomas joined with METALLICA to celebrate 20 years since the band and the Symphony recorded "S&M", at the September 6 and September 8, 2019 "S&M²" concerts before 18,000 fans at San Francisco's Chase Center.,Earlier today (Thursday, April 23),METALLICA released a statement via social media expressing sadness over Thomas' passing.

"A towering figure in classical music, many of you became familiar with the man known as MTT when he worked with us as a major driving force in the development and live performances of the 'S&M2' shows in San Francisco in September of 2019.,MTT was more than a conductor; an accomplished pianist and composer, he served as the San Francisco Symphony's musical director for 25 years.

During his time with the orchestra, he brought innovation, experimentation, and community engagement to San Francisco.

He fostered contemporary music by forming relationships with living composers and creating fresh accounts of standard repertory.

Throughout his career, he earned 12 Grammy Awards.,The iconic conductor was remembered fondly by METALLICA members Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield.

The "S&M²" concerts were historic on multiple levels: They served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center, reunited the band and Symphony for the first time since the 1999 performances captured on the Grammy"S&M" album, and featured the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those original "S&M" shows.