Ex-Megadeth Drummer Nick Menza Dies After Collapsing at Show

Nick Menza, a former drummer for the metal band Megadeth, has died after he collapsed on stage during a show in California. He was 51.

Menza, who was a member of the band OHM, was performing at a Los Angeles-area club on Saturday when he suddenly collapsed and couldn’t be revived, CNN reports. J. Marshall Craig, a family spokesman, on Sunday confirmed the death to the Associated Press.

The news shocked many in the music industry, including Megadeth’s frontman Dave Mustaine, who tweeted that he was “gutted” upon hearing it. “Tell me this isn’t true,” he wrote on Twitter.

Megadeth paid tribute to its fallen former member on its website Sunday. “In Remembrance of Nick Menza,” the page says.

The cause of death is unclear. However, Craig said a heart attack is suspected, according to the AP.