TAMPA -- Largo’s Margaret Priebe, an 85-year-old cancer survivor and the new mascot for headbangers worldwide, met her hard-rockin' heroes in Metallica before the band’s Saturday show at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Singer James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich (pictured), bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett all stopped by the “Hood Rat” VIP lounge to meet Priebe, who was featured in a St. Petersburg Times feature on Thursday. Her story quickly became an Internet sensation, and on Friday Metallica officially invited her for a backstage chat.

“The number one Metallica fan!” Ulrich said when he met Priebe, who was joined by her son Jim Priebe, 48. Last year, Margaret battled cancer and chemo; during restless nights, she’d put on her MP3 player and crank Metallica. “You guys put me to sleep,” she told Ulrich, who took it as a compliment.

When the hulking Hetfield came in, he leaned down and asked, “Mind if I hug you?” She didn’t mind at all. Hammett told her to “Keep it metal!” She smiled big. The band signed her copy of new album Death Magnetic and even gave her a roadie T-shirt.

After the meet-and-greet, Priebe said, “They were just like what I’d thought they’d be – very nice.”
 
As she was led through the arena, fans burst into applause, asking for pictures and rocking the devil horns, the ultimate metal salute.