Samiul Bashar Samin
Nick Menza, former Megadeth drummer who performed with the thrash metal outfit’s “classic” lineup for almost a decade, died Saturday after collapsing onstage during a concert in Studio City, California. He was 51. The drummer’s management confirmed the death in a statement: “Nick collapsed during the third song into a set with his band OHM. Earliest reports indicate he suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.”
The son of Buddy Rich’s longtime jazz saxophonist Don Menza, Nick Menza began his career as a session musician before he was recruited by then-Megadeth drummer Chuck Behler to serve as drum tech; after Behler left the band, Mustaine asked Menza to join Megadeth in 1989.
Menza provided drums on four Megadeth studio albums, including their classic 1990 LP Rust in Peace and 1992’s Countdown to Extinction; Menza co-wrote lyrics on the latter’s title track. Live, Menza had a notable presence onstage for the way he attacked his double bass drum kit and is noted to be part of Megadeth’s most acclaimed lineup till date.