Metallica has had to delay the start of their world tour because of the death of drummer Lars Ulrich's mother, a management spokesperson confirms. Lone Ulrich died in Southern California after a long illness.

The band was due to kick off their road trip this coming Friday in New Zealand and continue on to Australia. The show scheduled for Friday in Wellington, NZ, is now set for Friday, April 17th. Saturday's show in Aukland will take place April 18th. The Brisbane, Australia show, originally Tuesday, March 31, is now April 20.

The spokeswoman told MTV News that the band's April 2 show in Newcastle was still up in the air but the remaining Australian dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are unaffected. Metallica's next stop will be Asia. That leg begins April 24 in Seoul and ends May 9 in Tokyo.

The U.S. tour kicks off June 24 in Palm Beach, Florida. For a complete list of U.S. tour dates, see [article id="1432110"]"Metallica Sets

U.S. Tour Dates"[/article].