Torben Ulrich Obituary: Lars Ulrich’s Father died at 95

Torben Ulrich, a Danish writer, musician, filmmaker, and professional tennis player passed away on 20 December 2023 at the age of 95. He was the father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.

Torben Ulrich was born on 4 October 1928 in Copenhagen, the son of Ulla (née Meyer) and tennis player Einer Ulrich. Torben played on the tennis tour from the late 1940s into the 1970s and on the Tennis Grand Masters tour in the 1970s and 1980s.

Torben won the Antwerp International singles title on red clay in 1951 and again in 1956 when he defeated Jacques Brichant in the final. He won the Stuttgart Open tournament in 1953 on red clay.

In 2011, Ulrich began development with choreographer-dancer Beth Graczyk and composer-musician Angelina Baldoz on the dance project “Cacophony for 8 Players”, which premiered in 2014 in Seattle. Ulrich was a director and a performer in the work.

In 1986, he received the Gerlev Prize from Gerlev Idrætshøjskole in Denmark for athletico-cultural contributions. In 2006, he received an award from Klara Karolines Fond, “for his inspiration to artists of many kinds and his views on athletics, art and existence”. In 2013, the Ulrich family received the Davis Cup Award.

Tributes to Torben Ulrich

R.I.P Torben Ulrich

The famous Danish tennis player who was the father o Metallica's co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich, passed away at the age of 95. pic.twitter.com/TTm7UvLCVu
— Rock and Roll Garage (@rocknrollgarag1) December 21, 2023