Greg Handevidt

Gregory Jay Handevidt

“Greg”

Greg Handevidt was one of Megadeth's founding members and a companion to Dave Mustaine in the band's genesis. Born in 1965 in Minnesota, Handevidt moved to Los Angeles as a teenager seeking opportunities in the metal scene, where he befriended David Ellefson before meeting Mustaine. In June 1983, Greg was invited by Mustaine to join the new project Fallen Angels, which would soon be renamed Megadeth. As a guitarist, he contributed harmonic duos and riffs to the group's earliest compositions and played in some of Megadeth's first live shows, while Mustaine was still searching for the ideal lineup. His stay was brief: by the end of that year, Handevidt left the band amicably and returned to Minnesota, citing differences in direction and lifestyle with Megadeth in Los Angeles. Back in his home state, Greg founded the thrash band Kublai Khan in 1985, releasing the cult album 'Annihilation' in 1987, which even featured Ellefson's collaboration. After that, Handevidt stepped away from the music industry, though he has occasionally given interviews recalling Megadeth's founding. Interestingly, there is some dispute over the origin of the name 'Megadeth': in 2025, Handevidt claimed he suggested it, inspired by a nuclear pamphlet—a version different from Mustaine's, who credited Lor Kane. Despite his short tenure, Greg Handevidt is remembered for being present at Megadeth's ground zero, helping to start the engine of a band that would later become legendary.