‘It was hard on me letting him go’: Dave Mustaine Reflects On David Ellefson’s Exit From Megadeth

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During a recent interview with Rolling Stone where Dave Mustaine was talking about the upcoming new Megadeth album, the topic of Megadeth founding member David Ellefson leaving the band came up. Back in May of 2021, Ellefson was let go from the band following a sex scandal he was involved in. The band released the following statement:

“We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him.

“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.”

Now, in this new interview with Rolling Stone, the Megadeth frontman opens up a little about letting David Ellefson go from the band. Per Dave Mustaine:

“With everything that had taken place over the past, 10, 20 years with my relationship with our past bass player, it just became time to… it’s so uncomfortable for me to talk about. It was hard on me letting him go. And I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.”

Well, while Mustaine seems to have gotten over things and is feeling a lot better, David Ellefson may feel differently about the whole matter. Back in November of 2021, speaking to parting ways with Megadeth, Ellefson had shared, “I was just kicked to the side of the road […].

What do you make of David Ellefson parting ways with Megadeth and that of Dave Mustaine’s comments regarding him? This past May, the band announced that their new permanent bassist is James LoMenzo.

In that same interview, Mustaine also revealed how the children’s rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” inspired the title for the new Megadeth album.

How ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ Inspired The New Megadeth Album Title