Megadeth has canceled its upcoming summer tour after announcing that singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine has been diagnosed with throat cancer.
In a statement released Monday, Mustaine, 57, said that his diagnosis is “clearly something to be respected and faced head on — but I’ve faced obstacles before. I’m working closely with my doctors, and we’ve mapped out a treatment plan which they feel has a 90 percent success rate. Treatment has already begun.”
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Megadeth had a full slate of summer shows planned to celebrate the band’s 35th anniversary, including the group’s annual Megacruse in October. In his statement on Megadeth’s website and official social media platforms, Mustaine noted, “Unfortunately, this requires that we cancel most shows this year. The 2019 Megacruise will happen, and the band will be a part of it in some form. All up-to-date information will be at megadeth.com as we get it. Megadeth will be back on the road ASAP.”
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Mustaine, from La Mesa, California, joined Metallica as its lead guitarist in 1981 and was ousted from the band before they recorded “Kill ‘Em All” in 1983. A year later, he formed Megadeth with bassist Dave Ellefson, who also remains in the band’s lineup.
The band has released 15 records, starting with Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! in 1985. The band’s most popular songs include 1990’s “Hangar 18,” 1992’s “Symphony of Destruction” from the band’s most successful album Countdown to Extinction, and “Peace Sells” from the album Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, which is deemed as a thrash metal classic.
Mustaine and wife Pamela have two children: son Justin, 27, who is a guitarist, and daughter Electra, 21, an aspiring country music artist. Mustaine’s statement about his cancer diagnosis hinted that the band is working on a follow-up to 2016’s Dystopia, the album that earned the band its first Grammy win after 11 nominations.
“Meanwhile, Kiko, David, Dirk and I are in the studio, working on the follow up to Dystopia — which I can’t wait for everyone to hear,” he wrote.
He concluded by saying he was “so thankful for my whole team — family, doctors, band members, trainers, and more. I’ll keep everyone posted.”
Photo credit: Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty
