Poland tells about the moment.
In an interview with Machine Music, former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, who played in the band OHM with drummer Nick Menza, spoke about the death of his bandmate, who died of cardiovascular disease on stage while performing last May. Poland described Menza's death and said that the musician knew he was going to die soon.
“The night we played at the Baked Potato [the place where Nick Menza died], he was fine. Actually, when we started the show he was a totally different drummer. I’d never heard him play so intensely. It’s like someone had unleashed this other drummer. By the third song I was struggling to keep up with Nick. Then he looked at me and said, ‘Dude, are you okay?’ and I said, ‘Yeah! I’m fine! What the hell’s wrong with you today?’ and he laughed, looked at Pag and they were both laughing at me. I was exhausted. I was trying to drink a lot of water and everything. Then Pag looks at Nick, he goes back to talk to the audience on the microphone. Nick adjusts the cymbals, puts his hands on his legs slowly, and slowly he bent over and leaned against the monitor. And he stayed like that, bent over the monitor. And I thought he was making fun of me because I was struggling to keep up with him, so I just said, ‘You idiot!’” Because I thought he was joking. And I saw that his eyes were wide open. So I yelled, 'Call an ambulance!' And the rest you know. That's how it was.”
Poland explained that he had the impression that Nick Menza knew his death was near, and that the doctor had told him:
“We didn’t know that Nick knew about his health. He didn’t tell anyone. About a month before his death, for a week he would come to rehearsal and complain about how his doctor didn’t know anything. He went to the doctor, and the doctor told him what he didn’t want to hear.”
“He kept going back up North to visit his two kids. And we’d get mad, like, ‘Damn, isn’t he in the band?’ He made like three trips, and we couldn’t rehearse. And when he was there, he was talking to his ex-wife and her husband, and the guy said, ‘When I die, I want to die having sex.’ And Nick got pissed and said, ‘Dude, you don’t want to traumatize your wife like that. Don’t even say that.’ Then Nick turned to him and said, ‘When I die, I want to die playing drums.’”