Ex-MEGADETH Drummer Nick Menza, 51, Dies During Performance

The 51-year-old MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza died Saturday night, even as he plied his drum on May 21, performing with the band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California.

He had collapsed when he sang the third of OHM:'s set. He suffered a huge heart attack that killed him even before he arrived at the hospital.

Said one witness: "It appeared to be a seizure but [Nick] stopped breathing. Two patrons took over and began CPR until EMS arrived. EMS worked on him for 25-plus minutes, including adrenaline shots, three shocks and non-stop compressions."

His death has thrown a lot of people into a stupor. OHM:'s manager Steve Bauer admitted that the group's bassist had texted him the previous night, and has now left them all in shock.

Menza had become part of MEGADETH for the 1989 recording "Rust In Peace". For almost nine years, he got associated with its "classic" and most profitable era.

In an interview he gave in 2015, he said that the attempted reunion of the "Rust In Peace" team could not happen because Dave Mustaine "didn't wanna show me any love at all."

He said he had been approached by Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson so that he could replace Shawn Drover by 2014. Once he began to work on some new tracks with the band, the plan collapsed. He had been offered a contract he said was "very unfair."

Menza had joined OHM: last year after the band's previous drummer, David Eagle, who had a heart attack and open-heart surgery in May 2015 died.

And now it is Menza who is no more, which has put a lot of people into mourning. Nick's biographer and friend J. Marshall Craig said: "We ask for prayers for Nick's family, his family, and especially his two sons and their mother, Teri. He just spent nearly two weeks with the boys in the Pacific Northwest and was absolutely glowing. He was scheduled to fly to my home in Cape Cod tomorrow so that we could finish the comic-book version of the book we wrote on his life, 'MenzaLife', both of which were slated for release late next month. This morning we are all too numb to think about anything but Nick's family."

Nick's manager Robert Bolger requested that fans should respect his family's need for some privacy.

His friend Allen Hall wrote on Facebook: "We lost an amazing talent and fantastic person yesterday. Nick Menza was the nicest and most sincere guy you should ever hope to meet.

"He would take the shirt off his back to help you if you needed it. He had a passion for artwork, not just metal music.

"Nick, you were taken too soon, it must have been a mistake, the world was a better place with you in it. I will miss you dearly my friend."

MEGADETH main man Dave Mustaine tweeted: "Tell me this isn't true. I woke at 4am to hear Nick Menza passed away on May 21 playing his drums with Ohm: at the Baked Potato. #nickmenzarip."

Ex-MEGADETH guitarist Glen Drover said: "I'm super shocked after reading the news about Nick last night. As some of you know, it was me, Nick, Dave [Mustaine], and Jimmy Macdonough in 2004, who became the first lineup of MEGADETH after the original breakup in 2001. Although it was short lived (with my brother Shawn taking over for Nick), it was nice playing and getting to know him a little for that very brief period. He seemed like a good guy. Very quiet, and what I remember most is that when he played drums, he used ride cymbals for his crashes. For those who don't know, it's very, very loud!!!!! But it's okay; I still have some of my hearing intact. Ha."

One continuous, repetitive word that rings tellingly through his Facebook page and displays his popularity is simple. It just says "RIP."