Ellefson Says He Should Be Part of Megadeth Farewell Tour Despite 2021 Firing

Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson said he believes any reason for his exclusion from the band's farewell tour is unfounded, untruthful, and unfair. He spoke about this during a recent interview.

"I have always said that I am available for that. And I would do it because I think any reason that I'm not there now is unfounded. It's untruthful and it's unfair because clearly there's nothing wrong," said Ellefson.

Dave Mustaine fired Ellefson in May 2021. Sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were leaked on Twitter. The two haven't spoken in four years and six months.

Mustaine said last month he can't invite certain former members back due to past behavior. "I can't really do that, because of the behavior of one of the band members in the past. I just can't. Because, first off, it would be unfair to the other band members if I didn't play with them as well," said Mustaine in an interview, as reported by Yahoo.

Ellefson was in the thrash metal group from its start in 1983 to 2002, when nerve damage left Mustaine unable to play. He came back in 2010 after a royalty lawsuit was settled. His time with the band lasted 30-plus years across two stints.

The bassist pointed to Black Sabbath's recent Back To The Beginning event in Birmingham as the right way to handle a farewell. That show brought together the original four members to say goodbye to fans.

"Look, if it were just me and Dave sitting here, I'm sure everything would be fine, but there's a lot of people with influences, and that can be sticky," said the 60-year-old musician. "So my hope is that the voice of the fans gets louder than any other voice that would tear it apart."

The farewell tour announcement came in 2025, with a new album set to be the band's last release. All tour dates are on the band's official website.