David Scott “Dave” Mustaine was born on 13th September 1961, in La Mesa, California USA of French and Finnish (father) and Jewish (mother) descent. Dave Mustaine became famous back in the ‘80s, being the original lead guitarist for Metallica. After he left the band, he joined Megadeth, a thrash metal band, for which he is a guitarist and the lead singer.
So just how rich is Dave Mustaine? His net worth is estimated by sources at $20 million. In 2009, he was ranked number one in the best metal guitarists list, therefore his earnings in the music industry make the main source for the singer’s net worth.
Dave Mustaine Net Worth $20 Million
Dave Mustaine started performing for Panic, but he became famous as the lead guitarist for Metallica, although he was part of the band for less than two years, so he never actually contributed to any of the band’s albums. After he was fired in 1983 because of his alcohol and drugs problems, Mustaine founded Fallen Angels, but this band lasted less than a year. In 1984, the guitarist became the lead singer for Megadeth, the band for which he is still performing today. The band has launched more than 20 albums, live albums and compilations, including “Countdown to Extinction” (1992), “Risk” (1999), “Rust in Peace” (1990), and “Icon” (2014) and received several Platinum and Gold certifications, not only in the USA, but also in Australia, the UK, Finland and Germany. Dave Mustaine has also made appearances in several television shows and documentaries, such as “Black Scorpion”, “The Drew Carey Show”, “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Duck Dodgers”, and “The Hour”.
Dave Mustaine makes money from touring, album sales and royalties. His band is the founder of a travelling heavy metal music festival, called Gigantour, registered and released also on DVD, for which Mustaine was an executive producer in 2009. The guitarist has his own line of guitars, made at the beginning with the Jackson Company and later with ESP Guitars. He is also the author and performer of several soundtracks, especially for television shows and series.
Besides music, Dave Mustaine completes his income from selling wine. The rock star owns a house and a vineyard near Fallbrook, in San Diego County, where he produces Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine made at Mustaine Vineyards was launched in 2012 under the name “Symphony Interrupted”. Dave Mustaine is also co-owner of Cooperstown, a bar/restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona.
Besides music, Mustaine is fan of the martial arts, with black belts in Ukidokan Karate and Taekwondo. He also is driving race cars and participated to the Watkins Glen International raceway in New York, in 2015. In 2010 he published also a book, called “Mustaine: a heavy metal memoir”, which adds more money to the rock star`s net worth.
In 1992, Dave Mustaine was a reporter for MTV at the Democratic National Convention, but then in 2012, he supported the Republican candidate Rick Santorum. Over the years he has made numerous statements about the USA`s internal and foreign politics, many of them controversial.
In 1991, Dave Mustaine married Pamela Anne Casselberry; the couple has a son and a daughter.
James Hatfield has developed an image of machismo and bravado over the years, but I've known him a long time. I know who he is inside. James and I were destined for greatness. Just not together.
2
My favorite guitar solo? Probably the one on Time by Pink Floyd. I'll tell you, Dave Gilmour can do more with one note than most other guitarists can do with the entire fret board.
3
Well, I liked Marty when I first met him, because he was a gentle guy and was really dedicated to his craft. But I was kind of put off by his appearance. Our manager had his CD [Marty Friedman's 1988 solo album, Dragon's Kiss] on his desk for months, and I would look at it and just be like, "No way. But one day, I put in the CD and was just like, "Wow! This guy wants to play with us? Let's bring him in. And Marty showed up, and he was pretty funny looking - he had the two-color hair and all that stuff. He was living hand-to-mouth in Hollywood, you know? But he was great. [explaining his initial impression of Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman]
4
I could have sounded just like Metallica if I wanted to, and I didn't. Megadeth doesn't sound anything like Metallica. It really doesn't.
5
It's like you pull up to a stop light, you know, and you have your own car and so do they. They're both Mercedes, but yours says 'smaller number.' I mean it's like, you know, there's still that penis envy. [on the rivalry between Megadeth and his former band Metallica]
6
I'll tell you what I won't sing any more: 'Anarchy In The UK'. That says: 'I am an antichrist' - and I'm not. [from a 2004 interview with Classic Rock magazine]
7
I hated them. I was so mad at them I figured, 'I need to regroup and I need to start over again, because now I'm going to get revenge.' Part of the whole reason why I formed Megadeth was to get back at them. [describing his feelings toward Metallica, after his dismissal from the band]
8
The success didn't matter. Countdown to Extinction was double platinum. That didn't matter. I had the house, I had the wife, I had the kid, I had everything. But I had nothing because I was still comparing myself to my previous band. [on having Megadeth's fifth album, Countdown to Extinction, being outsold by Metallica's self-titled fifth album]
9
"Last album, Lars Ulrich from Metallica said something to me through the press. He said he thinks I am talented but that I should take more risks, which I took as good advice. As this new record evolved, it became more and more appropriate to call it Risk. And after all, the band is called Megadeth - we aren't afraid to take chances." (1999)
10
"There's two kinds of drunks: There's happy drunks, and there's violent drunks. And I would get violent." (on being intoxicated while he was a member of Metallica)
11
"There are two ways you can hear this next song, there's our way and then there's their way, for those of you who think that this is their way, this song is called Mechanix".
12
I didn't like the way I was let go from Metallica. There was no civility in the way it happened. They just said, 'You're out' and I said, 'What, no warning, no second chance?'
13
Megadeth is a legend, and I'm not gonna cheapen it like some of these bands that keep going long after they should.
#
Fact
1
Considers Dave Gilmour's guitar solo in 'Time' by Pink Floyd as his favorite.
2
The new album "United Abominations" from Megadeth is now released. 'Christina Scabbia' from Lacuna Coil is guest vocalist on the song "A Tout Le Monde". [May 2007]
3
Preparing press tours to promote re-issues and remixes of past Megadeth albums on the Capitol Label (27th July in USA) and for upcoming new Megadeth album "The System Has Failed" in September. [June 2004]
4
Headlining the metal festival "Gigantour". But still has dates to complete on Megadeth's "Blackmail the Universe Tour". [August 2005]
5
Is currently on "Tour of Duty" [October 2007]
6
Was notorious for his feuds with members of Metallica and Slayer, but by 2010 these feuds subsided.
The song "Liar" from Megadeth's "So Far So Good So What" (1988) album was written by Mustaine about Chris Poland, the guitarist he had recently been forced to fire from the band.
10
The only member of Megadeth to appear on every one of the band's recordings.
11
Recovered from arm injury and recorded "The System Has Failed" as a solo project but, due to contractual issues, released it under the name of Megadeth (September 2004).
12
The Megadeth song "Something I'm Not" (from the 2004 album "The System Has Failed") is about Lars Ulrich's "betrayal" of Dave.
13
Wrote the Megadeth song "In My Darkest Hour" in reaction to hearing the news about the death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
14
In 2002, he suffered a nerve injury to his left arm, which he said resulted from falling asleep with that arm over the back of a chair. He disbanded Megadeth that year, only to reform it in 2004 after extensive physical therapy for the injury.
15
In 1992 covered the Democratic National Convention for MTV News
16
Has a son, Justis David, and a daughter, Electra Nicole
17
Former lead guitarist of Metallica. His drinking habits led to his 1983 dismissal from the band, a move Mustaine referred to as having "no warning, no second chance".
So his networth stays the same since 2004?