The tragic passing of former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza has rocked the metal community, and wider music industry as a whole.
Menza, who was just 51 years old, collapsed after a suspected massive heart attack whilst performing on stage with his band OHM. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Tributes have poured in from his friends and peers, with Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine now issuing a statement on the tragic news. “I woke up this morning to a text message from my son, with the news of Nick Menza’s passing,” he said on the Megadeth website. “Shocked, devastated and saddened don’t begin to describe my feelings.”
In the extended statement, Mustaine provided some of Menza’s history with Megadeth and some background about Menza as a musician in general. “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 band-mate, and a friend was even more fun.”
Mustaine also talked about his continued relationship with Menza, and and gave his deepest condolences to Menza’s loved ones. “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.”
UPDATE26/05/16: Nick Menza’s cause of death has been confirmed.
Watch: Megadeth – Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
