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Ex-Megadeth drummer Nick Menza collapses on stage, dies

FILE - In this July 24, 1997, file photo, lead guitarist Marty Friedman, left, and lead singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, center, field questions while bassist David Ellefson, right, high-fives drummer Nick Menza, back left, during a live chat on the internet held at The Joint inside the Hard Rock hotel-casino in Las Vegas. A family spokesman said Menza, former drummer for influential metal band Megadeth, died after collapsing on stage Saturday, May 21, 2016, during a performance of his progressive jazz trio in Southern California. Ethan Miller/Las Vegas Sun via AP

LOS ANGELES – A family spokesman says Nick Menza, former drummer for influential metal band Megadeth, died after collapsing on stage during a performance of his progressive jazz trio in Southern California.

J. Marshall Craig says Menza’s latest band OHM was three songs into a set at a Los Angeles-area club Saturday night when the drummer collapsed. Friends and audience members rendered aid while paramedics were called.

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Craig says the 51-year-old died at the club of a suspected heart attack.

Menza was Megadeth’s longest-serving drummer, performing on five records over nine years, including 1990’s thrash metal landmark, “Rust In Peace.”

After leaving Megadeth in 1998, Menza pursued an interest in jazz and became an accomplished woodworker.

He is survived by his parents and two sons.

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