Megadeth Part Ways With Bassist David Ellefson

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Megadeth have parted ways with bassist David Ellefson, who was recently accused of grooming an underage fan after text exchanges and explicit Facetime videos were posted online.

Megadeth – who previously said they would be “watching developments closely” as they unfolded – have now released a new statement confirming Ellefson’s departure from the band. In the new statement, Dave Mustaine wrote “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.”

The statement went on to say “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.”

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— Megadeth (@Megadeth) May 24, 2021

After sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving Ellefson were posted on Twitter earlier in the month, the longtime Megadeth member released a statement on Instagram denying all social media rumours that he “groomed” an underage fan.

In his statement on May 10, the 56-year-old Ellefson wrote “As you may or not know, some private and personal conversations and interactions have surfaced online, released with ill intention by a third party who was not authorized to have them or share them. While certainly embarrassing, I want to address it as openly and honestly as possible.”

“As much as it’s not something I’m proud of, these were private, adult interactions that were taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation, my career and family,” he continued. “The other party involved has made a statement which you can see below. I thank her for doing so and hope that this clarifies that the situation was not at all as presented.”

His statement was accompanied by a screenshot of a social media post from the woman involved, who denied any suggestions that she was underage at the time. The woman also revealed she recorded the intimate moments and shared them with a friend without Ellefson’s permission, calling herself “naïve” for doing so and claiming that the contact between her and the musician was “all consensual and all online.” She also called assumptions that she was “groomed” by Ellefson “misinformation”.

His Instagram account has now been made private.