Megadeth cuts ties with bassist David Ellefson amid sexual misconduct allegations. He is one of the founding members of the group.
The heavy-metal legends shared the news on Twitter on Monday in a statement attributed to singer Dave Mustaine.
“We are notifying our fans that David Ellefson is no longer a member of Megadeth and that we are parting ways with him,” he wrote. “We take this decision seriously.”
The news arrives at the time when David Ellefson is facing accusations of grooming an underage girl through online messages and videos.
BBC News reported that rumours were being spread on social media.
“While we do not know every single detail of what happened, with an already tense relationship, what has already been disclosed now is enough to make working together impossible,” wrote Mustaine.
“We hope to see our fans on the road this summer, and we cannot wait to release our brand new music. It is almost complete.”
Ellefson dismissed the accusations in a statement posted on his Twitter account, which is now set to private. He has also deleted his Instagram account.
According to Variety, the rock star’s social media statement called the videos in question “personal, adult interactions that were manipulated and taken out of context to inflict maximum damage to my career, reputation and family.”
He also said the videos had been “leaked with ill intention by a third party who was not authorized to share or have them.”
His statement read, “The girl in the videos was always a consenting adult, and it was all online and all consensual.”
Megadeth first addressed the sexual misconduct allegations on May 10 on social media, “We are aware of the recent allegations regarding David Ellefson, and are observing developments closely,” that post read. “As it relates to business and creativity, we are all familiar with one another. But David keeps his private life to himself.”
