James Hetfield Proposes to Adriana Gillett During Underwater Whale Shark Excursion

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is proving that even heavy metal legends have a soft spot for romance—provided it involves massive sea creatures. On Friday, March 13, 2026, the 62-year-old rocker popped the question to his girlfriend, Adriana Gillett, in a cinematic underwater proposal while the pair were swimming with whale sharks.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 19, 2026, 11:04 AM EDT

Source: People

A Submerged Surprise

The "Enter Sandman" singer ditched traditional candlelight for fins and a face mask. During the dive, Hetfield held up a handwritten sign reading, “Adriana Gillett will you marry me?” beneath the waves. Gillett, 45, shared the news on Instagram, calling the experience the "BEST birthday trip surprise."

“In a sea full of fish, we caught each other,” Gillett gushed in her caption. “Thank you God for putting us together.”

A Fresh Chapter

The engagement marks a significant milestone for Hetfield, coming four years after his split from Francesca Tomasi, his wife of 25 years. Hetfield and Tomasi, who share three children, finalized their divorce in 2022. Hetfield has been open about the personal struggles that contributed to the end of his marriage, including his battles with anger and alcohol, which famously led to Tomasi kicking him out of the house years prior—a "rock bottom" moment that he credited with forcing him to seek help.

Hetfield and Gillett began dating in 2023, and their relationship has been a fixture on the metal icon’s social media ever since. Friends of the couple describe Gillett as a grounding influence during a period of prolific creativity for the musician.