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Metallica Vocalist James Hetfield Proposed to His Girlfriend While Swimming With Sharks

Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s new fiancée revealed that they got engaged while “swimming with whale sharks on Friday the 13th.”

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Metallica frontman James Hetfield just one-upped marriage proposals so hard. The iconic metal vocalist/guitarist just got engaged to his girlfriend, Adriana Gillett, while they were swimming with sharks.

The reveal came on Metallica’s Instagram page, where the band shared an underwater picture of Hetfield and Gillett. In it, the frontman held up a sign that asked: “Adriana Gillett, will you marry me?” The post’s caption read, “She said yes!”

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On her personal Instagram, Gillett shared the same picture but added her own caption. “The BEST birthday trip surprise,” she wrote. “Swimming with whale sharks on Friday the 13th with the most unique, special, and romantic proposal a Pisces could ever imagine. In a sea full of fish, we caught each other. Thank you God for putting us together.”

This will mark Hetfield’s second marriage. Previously, he was married to Francesca Tomasi for 25 years. The pair wed in 1997 and divorced in 2022. They share three children, including Castor Virgil Hetfield, of Bastardane.

Metallica is taking on the Las Vegas Sphere for a Fall 2025 residency

Hetfield’s engagement comes after it was announced that Metallica is holding a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere this fall. The residency will also extend into next year, with the band also announcing shows for early 2027. General tickets are sold out across the shows, but show dates still have “enhanced packages” available. See the full list of dates below:

October 2026: 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31.November 2026: 5, 7.January 2027: 28, 30.February 2027: 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, 27.March 2027: 4, 6, 11, 13.

Metallica: Life Burns Faster 2026 Tickets (opens in a new window)

In a statement issued on March 10, Metallica thanked fans for the response to their upcoming gigs. “Wow! What a week,” read a message shared on Metallica’s Instagram. “We are so appreciative and grateful to all of you for the incredible response to our upcoming Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. We are completely and utterly blown away and cannot believe that we will have 24 amazing nights on stage there, all thanks to you and a record-breaking week.”

“At this point in time, we will not be adding additional shows, but we are hoping to offer more in the future,” the band added. “In the meantime, we hear you loud and clear that the ticket-buying process was often frustrating and not always smooth. We’re working with our partners to improve this experience and offer some remedies for the next time around.

“We are looking forward to a very exciting 2026, starting off with seeing many of you in Europe this spring and summer as the M72 tour hits the road again in May,” Metallica’s statement concluded. “Before we know it, we’ll be exploring new frontiers along with fans from around the world in Las Vegas, and we can’t wait!”

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Venla Shalin/Redferns/Getty Images Metallica Vocalist James Hetfield Proposed to His Girlfriend While Swimming With Sharks 18 minutes ago

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