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| English: Bassist Chi Cheng of Deftones performing at the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Deftones bassist Chi Cheng dies after fighting 'the good fight'
R.I.P. CHI CHENG
July 15, 1970 – April 13, 2013
By Alan Duke, CNN
Deftones bass guitarist Chi Cheng died Sunday morning, five years
after a car crash left him in a coma, his mother announced. He was 42.
Deftones have released seven albums to date, with three Platinum (Adrenaline, Around the Fur, White Pony) and one Gold certification (for Deftones).
CHI CHENG HISTORY :
Cheng went to school for a period at CSU Sacramento. He was the author of a collection of poetry titled The Bamboo Parachute released in 2000 as a spoken word album. He had a wife, Colleen, and a son with ex-wife Adrienne. He was also a practicing Buddhist, and maintained an interest in Taoism and Shamanism.
Cheng also sponsored a community service group based out of the band's hometown of Sacramento, California. The group aids homeless citizens in developing their musical talents, among other things. Cheng was also a vegetarian. During college, he read No Denial!: A Handbook for Becoming a Socially, Environmentally, and Personally Responsible Citizen of the Planet by Neill S. Cohen and decided to make the switch.
Cheng was seriously injured in an automobile accident in Santa Clara, California, on November 4, 2008. Cheng had been traveling with his sister, Mae, when their vehicle flipped three times after hitting another car going 60 mph. Cheng, who was in the passenger seat, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. Mae sustained minor injuries, as she had been wearing her seat belt. She attended to Cheng, holding his head until two off-duty EMTs, who happened to have their medical equipment, rendered aid. They were able to insert a tube into Cheng's throat to help him breathe until the ambulance arrived, an action that doctors later said helped him survive. The accident left Cheng in a coma.
"This is the hardest
thing to write to you," Mom J, the name his mother used with his fans,
said. "Your love and heart and devotion to Chi was unconditional and
amazing."
Her statement was published Sunday on OneLoveForChi.com, a website established to communicate with his fans and raise money to help care for Cheng since his disabling accident.
"He was taken to the
emergency room, and at 3 a.m. today, his heart just suddenly stopped,"
his mother said. "He left this world with me singing songs he liked in
his ear."
Cheng co-founded The Deftones, a Sacramento, California, alternative metal band, in 1988.
"I know that you will
always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every
one of you," Mom J wrote. "He fought the good fight. You stood by him
sending love daily. He knew that he was very loved and never alone."
Cheng and his group won a Grammy for best metal performance in 2001.
The Recording Academy President Neil Portnow called Cheng "a powerful bassist who was larger than life on stage."
"Although the group's
early years were more heavy-metal-based, they were one of the first
bands to incorporate a more alternative and ethereal sound into their
thunderous and visceral music, blazing a trail that newer bands continue
to follow today," Portnow said. "The music industry has lost a proud
and passionate performer all too soon, and our sincerest condolences go
out to his family, his bandmates, and his fans worldwide who are
mourning his untimely and unfortunate passing."
DEFTONES HISTORY ..
Deftones is an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno (lead vocals and guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Frank Delgado (keyboards and turntables), Abe Cunningham (drums and percussion) and Sergio Vega (bass). Chi Cheng was the original bassist, but in 2008 he fell into a coma as a result of a car accident and died in 2013.Deftones have released seven albums to date, with three Platinum (Adrenaline, Around the Fur, White Pony) and one Gold certification (for Deftones).
CHI CHENG HISTORY :
Cheng went to school for a period at CSU Sacramento. He was the author of a collection of poetry titled The Bamboo Parachute released in 2000 as a spoken word album. He had a wife, Colleen, and a son with ex-wife Adrienne. He was also a practicing Buddhist, and maintained an interest in Taoism and Shamanism.
Cheng also sponsored a community service group based out of the band's hometown of Sacramento, California. The group aids homeless citizens in developing their musical talents, among other things. Cheng was also a vegetarian. During college, he read No Denial!: A Handbook for Becoming a Socially, Environmentally, and Personally Responsible Citizen of the Planet by Neill S. Cohen and decided to make the switch.
Cheng was seriously injured in an automobile accident in Santa Clara, California, on November 4, 2008. Cheng had been traveling with his sister, Mae, when their vehicle flipped three times after hitting another car going 60 mph. Cheng, who was in the passenger seat, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. Mae sustained minor injuries, as she had been wearing her seat belt. She attended to Cheng, holding his head until two off-duty EMTs, who happened to have their medical equipment, rendered aid. They were able to insert a tube into Cheng's throat to help him breathe until the ambulance arrived, an action that doctors later said helped him survive. The accident left Cheng in a coma.
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