On May 21, 2016, the world lost a thrash giant when former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza passed away. The skinsman's sudden passing at age 51 has spawned many tributes, including this one from longtime bandmate David Ellefson.

We caught up with Ellefson while Metal Allegiance were rehearsing for their 'Tribute to Fallen Heroes' gig in Anaheim, Calif. Having taken a break from jamming, we sat down with the thrash legend for the first time since Menza died, so we knew some memories from the vault needed to be shared.

“Nick was always one of these guys that when we’d talk about money he’d say, ‘Oh, I s—t $100 bills!” Ellefson recalls. “Probably the funniest [story] is when we were writing and rehearsing the Youthanasia record at a studio in Phoenix. They had some artwork on the wall and he was into painting. I didn’t quite get his ‘paintings,’ they were a little abstract, but he was into it. He put a painting on the wall and he put the price on it — $100,000. That was Nick’s over-the-top bombast, almost just to shock you.”

Ellefson also recalled a time one of Nick Menza’s hanging ride cymbals nearly took the bassist out. Menza played so hard that he had sheered the bolt down, allowing the ride to break off during a hit and fly toward Ellefson. “BAM!” Dave reenacted. “I’m like, ‘What the hell was that?!’ And I look up and he’d just keep thrashing and playing.”

Check out some of David Ellefson’s favorite Nick Menza memories in the video above!

Watch Metal Allegiance's 'Fallen Heroes' Performance

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