Personal life
Hetfield was married to Francesca Tomasi from August 17, 1997 to August 13, 2022. They had three children, Kaylee (June 13, 1998), Castor (May 18, 2000), and Marcella (January 17, 2002).

In his free time, James enjoys hunting, collecting rare guitars, raising bees, skateboarding, snowboarding, water skiing, working in his garage, following games of his favorite teams Oakland Raiders, San Jose Sharks and attending hot rod races.

He put his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro for sale on eBay. The proceeds went to support the school's music program. The car was used in the music video for the song "I Disappear" and was given to him as a gift after filming ended. And a fan from Orenburg collected a 1963 model K 750 motorcycle for James. Since then it has been in the musician's collection.