Megadeth Split with David Ellefson

2021-05-24

Metal band Megadeth stand for a black and white press photo.

Megadeth – Story by Audio Ink Radio Staff, photo by Mcabe Gregg

Megadeth have announced that bass player David Ellefson is “no long playing with Megadeth”

Megadeth are officially parking ways with longtime bass player David Ellefson. The band announced the news in a statement Monday (May 24), just two weeks following a controversy over Ellefson’s apparent activity in a sex video scandal, in which he issued a statement say he didn’t “groom” an allegedly underage girl online.

“We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him,” Megadeth says in a statement, signed by both the band and frontman Dave Mustaine.

“We do not take this decision lightly,” the statement continues. “While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.”

The statement adds, “We look forward to seeing our fans on the road this summer, and we cannot wait to share our brand new music with the world. It is almost complete.”

Two weeks ago, some alleged interactions between Ellefson and a woman on text and video call surfaced online, including compromising images of Ellefson. The bass player released a statement admitting that he had “private and personal conversations,” but that they were “adult interactions that were taken out of context.” Since then, Ellefson has also deleted his Twitter account. The woman alleged to be in the video also took to social media to state that she was of-age, and any interaction was consensual.

When the video footage of Ellefson first broke, Megadeth issued a statement, saying they were “watching developments closely. As it relates to creativity and business, we are all familiar with one another. However, there are clearly aspects of David’s private life that he has kept to himself.”

Megadeth and Ellefson have parted ways before. While Ellefson is the band’s original bass player, he wasn’t with the band when they reunited in 2004.

Read Megadeth’s full May 24 statement below: