It was just this past June that Dave Mustaine revealed publicly that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer.
But now the Megadeth singer and guitarist has announced that he is “100 percent” cancer-free.
At Megadeth’s show at London’s SSE Arena on Friday he addressed his battle with the illness from the stage, telling the audience:
“About a year ago, we were working on our new album back in Franklin, Tennessee, and I started to feel some pain. I went to the doctor and he said, ‘Dave, you have cancer.' And I went, 'Fuck! I have cancer.' And I was so shocked."
He continued, “At first, I thought, 'Am I afraid?' And then I said, 'No. I'm fucking pissed.' We stopped the record – we stopped everything. I went into treatment for cancer.
“It was 51 radiation treatments and nine chemo treatments and when it was all said and done, every day I would think, 'I can't face not playing again,' so I would pray.
“I know a lot of you guys know that I pray. I say that in Peace Sells. I pray every day. I say that in the song. I've said it since the second record.
“But I thought about you guys every day, too. And I thought about my family. And I got this power from you guys. And I just kept thinking about it.
“And on October 16, I went to go see the doctor, and he said, 'You're 100% free of cancer.'"
Megadeth’s current European with Five Finger Death Punch and Bad Wolves continues February 3 in Berlin.
“I was playing a lot of jazz when we did Longview. I’d sit in at jazz clubs and read off the Real Book”: If you think Mike Dirnt is another clueless punk, think again
“Jim Morrison was carried out because he was shouting abuse. Jimi Hendrix was there. We were all getting drunk”: Ritchie Blackmore recalls the first time he saw two-hand tapping – at a wild show in 1968
