Megadeth Part Ways With Bassist Dave Ellefson Following Sex Scandal

Carter Sterling, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Thrash titans Megadeth have officially announced that they have parted ways with bassist Dave Ellefson following the posting of several text interactions between Ellefson and a woman who is not his wife, as well as a sexually explicit video of Ellefson. The video and texts were revealed to the public approximately two weeks ago.

“We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him,” said the band in a statement released on social media.

“We do not take this decision lightly. 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.

“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.”

Whether or not this line-up change will alter Megadeth’s touring plans with Lamb of God remains to be seen. As of now, the following dates are still on:

8/20 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
9/21 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/22 – Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
8/24 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
8/25 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
8/27 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
8/29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
8/31 – Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
9/1 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
9/2 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
9/4 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
9/5 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
9/9 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago
9/11 – Danville, VA @ Blue Ridge Festival*
9/12 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
9/13 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
9/15 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
9/16 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
9/18 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
9/19 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
9/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
9/22 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
9/24 – Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
9/26 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis
9/28 – Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
9/30 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
10/1 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
10/2 – Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron

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Words by Chris Krovatin