Ex-MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON On NICK MENZA's Death: 'He Was Probably Gone Before He Hit The Floor'

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson says that he is "really honored" to be involved in the making of the upcoming feature-length documentary "This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza", which is described as an "exploration of the late MEGADETH drummer's life."

Menza, who was a member of MEGADETH from 1989 to 1998 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums, suffered a heart attack and collapsed during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: in May 2016 at the Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Ellefson reflected on Menza's passing in a new interview with The Claw's Corner. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Of course it's sad when someone leaves the planet 'cause we miss 'em. And I hear this footage with Nick, I see this footage, I hear interviews with him and stuff, and it's like he was sitting right here. So I feel that same thing. But how Nick died is… If you knew Nick and you lived on a tour bus with him, like we did, he would always say stuff like that: 'Oh, I'm gonna blow up on stage. I'm gonna blow your minds.' He'd say crazy stuff like 'Jesus was a hologram.' He would just say shit to just get a rise out of people and piss people off — just to see how far he could push it. So when he died on stage, I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of, like, 'Man, he freaking got away with it. He did it. He really did it.' And it's interesting, 'cause when he passed, he passed right away. They tried to revive him, and he was gone — I mean, he was probably gone before he hit the floor. And God bless him. That was it. Chris Poland told me about it, and I won't tell too much, 'cause a lot of the stuff's in the movie, but he told me the story about how they were kicking ass and having a great night and ready to start the next song, and then Nick was not there. It's a great story, and I don't wanna say really any more than that, because the story is great. The movie is gonna be really, really, really cool, and I'm really honored to be a part of it and to help tell the story of Nick's life and help out the family with grieving. They're kind of going through that whole process and get to the other side of it."

"This Was My Life" will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life Including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup."

"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.

The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks.