Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine announced on Monday that the metal band is parting ways with bassist David Ellefson after he was accused of sending sexually provocative messages to a fan, allegedly starting when she was underage. Ellefson previously admitted to sharing sexually-tinged messages with a fan, but insisted she was an adult at the time.
“We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him,” Mustaine said in a statement posted on Twitter. “We do not take this decision lightly.”
He continued, “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 decision was announced just weeks after Megadeth confirmed their tour with Lamb of God would kick off in August. Mustaine ended his statement on Monday telling fans the group’s looking forward to releasing new music and “seeing our fans on the road this summer.”
