Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine was diagnosed with cancer back in May. Now that he has been through what he says was the worst of it, and will be reuniting with his Megadeth bandmates for their upcoming winter trek through Europe with Five Finger Death Punch, he’s ready to tell his story.

Mustaine spoke to Rolling Stone about his journey, and in the following excerpt, talks about how it felt good to receive an incredible outpouring from his fans and peers.

"It did," says Dave. "It came as quite a surprise. A lot came from people that I knew but I didn’t know cared. Most notably, I got a text message back from my old brother, James Hetfield, and I was so, so happy to hear from him. Contrary to what anybody says and contrary to any of the act that we put on, I love James and I know that James loves me and cares about me. You can see that when the moment of truth is here and I’m telling the world that I’ve got a life-threatening disease. Who comes to stand next to me? James.

"And I got a text message from Ozzy, and one from Paul Stanley. It was great to get one from Ozzy; I didn’t expect it from Paul Stanley. That was super bitchin’ because in the beginning, when KISS first came out, I was just a kid and I loved them.

"I’m really grateful for everybody. Even the people who have a hard time with my behaviour and my big mouth, I’m just so grateful for them showing care for me. Like they say, at the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other here in this crazy metal community."

Read the full story at RollingStone.com.