FINAL ENCORE

Rock Legend, 65, Exits Band Due to Worsening Medical Condition

The guitarist and frontman founded the band 43 years ago.

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By Natalie DemareeUpdated Sep 28, 2026 1:09PM EDT

Rock legend Dave Mustaine, 65, has revealed the medical condition that’s forcing him to hang up his guitar after four decades of making music.

During a book launch event for his memoir, In My Darkest Hour, disappointment erupted from fans after the Grammy-winning Megadeth frontman revealed that the band’s current tour would be his last.

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth performs onstage during the Tuska Festival at Suvilahti on June 26, 2026, in Helsinki, Finland.
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“I have an injury to my hand,” Mustaine said, showing his hand to the Sept. 8 crowd of around 200 attendees at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. “I’ve got what’s called Dupuytren’s contracture.”

He continued, “In the center of my hand, the tendons have grown together and are pulling my finger down.”

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Also called Viking’s disease, Dupuytren’s contracture makes the fingers curl in as the tissue under the skin of the palms and fingers tightens.

There is no permanent cure for the condition, which affects more men than women, but there are several treatments, including physical therapy, ultrasonic or heat treatments, corticosteroid injections, needle aponeurotomy, and surgery.

Recording artists David Ellefson, Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Mustaine, and Kiko Loureiro of the music group Megadeth pose at the 59th GRAMMY Awards on February 12, 2017, in Los Angeles, California.
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Some musicians diagnosed with the condition—including world-renowned classical concert pianist Misha Dichter, 81, and folk musician Ellis Paul, 61—have returned to performing after surgery.

Mustaine, however, said he wouldn’t keep performing without the ability to play guitar.

“I figured I would do this tour and do the support for this record, and at that point, we’ll see what the technology’s like,” he said. “I think about, ‘Could I carry on if I just sang?’ I wouldn’t want to do that. I would want to play guitar because that’s my love.”

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. — Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine pictured in 1991.
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The thrash group had canceled most of their shows in 2019 after Mustaine was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Mustaine, who founded Megadeth in 1983 after being booted from his role as Metallica’s original lead guitarist, announced in August 2025 that his longtime band would retire after releasing its 17th studio album, Megadeth.

Mustaine was Metallica's original lead guitarist. The heavy metal group replaced Mustaine with Kirk Hammett (far left), pictured here in 1985 with singer and guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, and bassist Cliff Burton.
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“If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album,” he wrote in an announcement at the time.

Bassist and co-founder David Ellefson, guitarist Chris Poland, drummer Gar Samuelson (1958-1999), and co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter Dave Mustaine, all of the heavy metal band Megadeth, pose backstage at the Joe Louis Arena during the band's "Waking Up Dead Tour" on February 13, 1987, in Detroit, Michigan.
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During the book launch, he said the first thing he did when learning about his diagnosis was call his wife of 35 years, Pamela Casselberry, whom he shares two children with.

“I kind of sleepwalked out to my car, and I was sitting in there, and I didn’t even notice that I’d been crying, and I called her up.”

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine with his wife, Pamela Anne Casselberry, and daughter Electra Mustaine, at the CMA Awards on November 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tennessee.
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After intense rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, Mustaine announced he was in remission in January 2020.

“Getting up in the morning is a choice for all of us, and what we’re going to do with that day,” Mustaine said during the book launch. “Especially when you know you’ve got so many days left. It’s important to use those days wisely.”