Thom Hazaert, David Ellefson’s Longtime Partner, Says ‘F**k the Music Business’

Thom Hazaert, David Ellefson's longtime business partner and a member of the former Megadeth member's solo band, announced his retirement from music in a Facebook post on Sunday (June 13) that ended with him stating, "Fuck the music business."

Ellefson last month was fired from Megadeth following a scandal that saw the bassist refuting accusations of sexually grooming a minor after a clip of the musician masturbating over video leaked online. Ellefson and the person in question claimed she was of age at the time of their virtual encounter. Hazaert this week didn't directly mention the situation but instead echoed the fallout by pointing to his own trials in the music industry.

The post, along with Hazaert's personal Facebook page, has since been removed, but Blabbermouth captured the bulk of the message.

"For the last 30 years," Hazaert began, "I have toiled away in the music business (and life) being a person who did everything for everyone else, at the expense of myself — my finances, my happiness, my self-respect. I scraped, I barely made money, I suffered. I put everything I had into something to get nothing. Started over from scratch countless times, only to be fucked again by someone or something else, right as the hard work started paying off."

Whether the musician and business associate is referencing his relationship with Ellefson is left uncertain. Regardless, Hazaert made a point of underscoring his attempts to stay admirable.

"Nope, I'm not perfect," he continued elsewhere in the lengthy announcement. "But in the immortal words of Tony Montana, 'I ain't never fucked nobody that didn't have it coming.' I am honest to a fucking fault, and know my weaknesses, and have always avoided them. I am kind, sane, reasonable, professional and levelheaded. I would give anyone the shirt off my back and go out of my way to try and help everyone and put as much good into the world as I can. But as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished."

Hazaert said to "consider this my official retirement. Fuck music. I hate it now anyway. Fuck the music business. There really isn't one, and I hate it even more. (Of course, there are a lot of amazing people in this business that I love and always will.) Fuck social media (and public life). I'm done with that too."

He added, "To my friends and those who have supported me, thank you. Liars, shit-talkers, behind-the-back whisperers, betrayers and people who pretended to be my friends or used me — have at it."