Nick Menza, the longtime drummer of Megadeth, has died after he collapsed on stage during a performance in Los Angeles.
Menza was a member of Megadeth between 1989 and 1998, appearing on albums ‘Rust in Peace’, ‘Countdown to Extinction,’ ‘Youthanasia’ and more.
According to a statement issued by his management, “Earliest reports indicate [Menza] suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.”
TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE! I woke at 4 AM to hear Nick Menza passed away on 5/21 playing his drums w/Ohm at the Baked Potato. #nickmenzarip
— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) May 22, 2016
Megadeth co-founder Dave Mustaine took to Twitter to respond to the news, writing “Tell me this isn’t true! I woke at 4 AM to hear Nick Menza passed away on 5/21 playing his drums w/Ohm at the Baked Potato.”
According to Consequence of Sound, former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman said in a statement, “We all know the great and unique drummer that Nick Menza was, but he was also a trustworthy friend, a hilarious bandmate, as well as a very loving dad. I’m beyond sad, did not see this coming at all. RIP Brother.”
According to the BBC, his biographer and friend J Marshall Craig said his death had left his friends “all too numb to think about anything but Nick’s family”. “He just spent nearly two weeks with the boys in the Pacific Northwest and was absolutely glowing,” he said.
“He was scheduled to fly to my home in Cape Cod tomorrow so that we could finish the comic book version of the book we wrote on his life, MenzaLife, both of which are slated for release late next month.” Menza was 51 years old.