MEGADETH’s DAVE MUSTAINE Releases Statement About NICK MENZA’s Death

davemustaineinterviewmarch2016

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has issued a following statement regarding the death of his former drummer Nick Menza:

“I woke up this morning to a text message from my son, with the news of Nick Menza‘s passing. Shocked, devastated and saddened don’t begin to describe my feelings.

“Originally a tech for the band, Nick soon displayed such talent and personality, it didn’t take long for us to realize he belonged on stage with us, behind the kit. We asked Nick to join MEGADETH as our drummer in 1989. At the time, the band already had its first platinum album, which only served to stoke the fire. We all wanted world domination — with so much of our lives and dreams ahead of us. As we navigated through the pitfalls of life and the music business, our first album with Nick, ‘Rust In Peace’, and subsequent albums ‘Countdown To Extinction’ and ‘Youthanasia’, kept up the momentum. We parted ways after ‘Cryptic Writings’. We, like all brothers, would disagree at times, but our bond was strong throughout.

“As a player, Nick had a very powerful jazzy flair, unpredictable and always entertaining, And as great a drummer as he was, the time spent with him as a person, a bandmate, and a friend was even more fun.

“There were several times we discussed him coming back to the band, but for various reasons, it never came together. We’ve been in touch all along, he had come out to our shows recently, and he had remained a great friend, a true professional and a larger-than-life personality.

“The MEGADETH family take care of each other, and expect to hear soon about an initiative to help Nick‘s children.

“All of us in this community are connected, take care of yourself and your loved ones.

“My deepest condolences go out to Nick‘s family.”

Nick Menza died on May 21, 2016 after succumbing to heart failure while performing with his band, OHM, in Los Angeles.

One person who was present at The Baked Potato last night told Blabbermouth.net: “It appeared to be a seizure but [Nick] stopped breathing. Two patrons took over and began CPR until EMS arrived. EMS worked on him for 25-plus minutes, including adrenaline shots, three shocks and non-stop compressions.”

Menza recorded drums on four of MEGADETH‘s albums “Rust In Peace” (1990), “Countdown To Extinction”(1992), “Youthanasia” (1994), and “Cryptic Writings” (1997).