Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has reflected on his 2019 tongue cancer diagnosis, saying his faith had already been central to his life and that he believed God wanted him to recover. Speaking during an online question-and-answer session for his forthcoming memoir, he described how treatment, family support and music helped him through the illness.

Mustaine, 64, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the back of his tongue and entered remission in October 2019. His memoir, co-written with Joe Layden and due on 8 September 2026, recounts chemotherapy and radiotherapy alongside recording Megadeth’s 2022 album, while also addressing support from bandmates, his wife and children, and disruption within the band.