- Source of Wealth: Music
- Age: 57
- Birth Place: San Francisco, California
- Height: 5′ 7¼” (1.71 m
- Weight: 135 lbs (61 kg)
- Marital Status: Married (Lani Hammett)
- Full Name: Kirk Lee Hammett
- Nationality: United States
- Date of Birth: November 18, 1962
- Ethnicity: Filipino, Irish
- Occupation: Musician, songwriter
- Education: De Anza High School
- Children: 2 (Vincenzo, Angel Ray)
Of Irish and Filipino ancestry, Hammett was born on November 18, 1962 in San Francisco California. At age 18, he formed the band Exodus whom he worked with Gary Holt, Geoff Andrews, Paul Baloff and Tom Hunting until 1983. He joined the Metallica in 1983, after the dismissal of Dave Mustaine, the band’s former lead guitarist. As a songwriter, Hammett has contributed a lot to the band’s success.
In 2003, he was ranked 11th on The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list by Rolling Stone. In 2009, he ranked 15th on the list of The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists by Joel McIver’s book.
Together with his Metallica bandmates James Hetfield, Robert Trujillo, Lars Ulrich, Jason Newsted and Cliff Burton (deceased), Kirk Hammett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2009.