‘I was gonna die’: Jason Newsted clears up why he really left Metallica

Jason Newsted has revealed the real reason he quit Metallica back in 2001, setting the record straight years after fans were left blindsided by his sudden exit. 

Speaking on the Let There Be Talk podcast with Dean Delray, Newsted pushed back on the long-running theory that his alt-metal project Echobrain caused tension in the band. 

Allegedly, Metallica members were discouraged from pursuing side projects, and James Hetfield became defensive and territorial when Metallica’s management expressed an interest in Echobrain. 

Newsted has finally confirmed that it is “not the reason I left Metallica”. 

Instead, Newsted got brutally honest about where he was at personally.

The real reason he left was that he was “a horrible addict”. 

"I was way up against myself and if I didn’t get some kind of help, I was gonna die. And so I just said, ‘You guys, can I have a minute? Please give me a minute.’ And they said, ‘No.’”

That was the breaking point.

He made it clear the decision wasn’t about loyalty or lack of effort either.

Newsted described his fierce loyalty to the band: “I wear our shirt every night. I fly my colors every night.” 

Don’t tell me I’m not committed. Don’t tell me I’m not loyal. Don’t tell me. I’m always the first one in and last one out. I’m not saying the words. It’s f---ing history. It's real.

But ultimately, it came down to survival. 

He said he’d “rather live than be in your band”, and so after 15 years, he stepped away. 

Having joined the band in 1986, following the tragic death of Cliff Burton, Newsted was a part of 1998’s ‘... And Justice for All’, 1991 album ‘The Black Album’, 1996’s ‘Load’, and 1997’s ‘Reload’. 

He helped shape one of the band’s biggest eras, before Robert Trujillo took over bass duties.

Now he’s gearing up for his first-ever U.S headlining tour with the Chophouse band, and is in a much better place health-wise. 

He revealed he underwent treatment last year for throat cancer, but that he’s recently received a “free and clear” health update. 

Newsted confirmed they “got it early”, so now he is “more clear-headed than I've been in my entire adult life.” 

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Things ya just love to see.