Megadeth officially part ways with David Ellefson

Megadeth have officially parted ways with bassist David Ellefson.

The news came in a statement posted on the band's social media, written by founder and frontman Dave Mustaine.

"We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him," begins the statement. "We do not take this decision lightly."

It continues: "While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.

"We look forward to seeing our fans on the road this summer, and we cannot wait to share our brand new music with the world. It is almost complete."

Earlier this month, David Ellefson became embroiled in an online scandal, revolving around a sexually explicit video of the bassist leaking on social media.

He is yet to make any comment about his exit from the band.

Megadeth are finishing work on their 16th studio album, with Dave Mustaine saying last month that he only had one song left to sing on the record.

"Thankfully, my partner is coming back out to Nashville, and we’re gonna be commencing on some guitar tracks and solos and some ear candy to wrap all that up," the frontman stated. "We’ve got probably about another… I’ve got one song left to sing, and then another song I’ve got one sentence that I’ve gotta finish. Other than that, all the vocals are done on this record, and it’ll be time to focus now on background vocals and the remaining stuff with solos and, as we say."

READ THIS: The stories behind 10 of Megadeth's biggest songs