The English singer-songwriter and the former Guns N' Roses guitarist join other musicians to say goodbye to Deftones' original bassist who passed away on Saturday, April 13 at the age of 42.
- Apr 15, 2013
AceShowbiz - Chi Cheng, the former bassist of alternative metal band Deftones, passed away at the age of 42 on Saturday, April 13 after struggling to recover from serious injuries following a car crash four years ago. The sad news was announced by Chi's family in a statement posted on the fan site which was built to raise funds for Chi's medical expenses, Oneloveforchi.com.
According to the post, Chi's "heart just suddenly stopped" after being taken to the emergency room. "I know that you will always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every one of you," mother Jeanne Marie Cheng wrote. "He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear. He fought the good fight. He knew that he was very loved and never alone."
Deftones' band mates as well as other musicians like Frank Turner, Slash, Corey Taylor, Aaron Pauley and Gerard Way took to social networking sites to express their condolences. Deftones' frontman Chino Moreno wrote on his Facebook page, "Rest in peace, Chi Cheng." On Twitter, Frank wrote, "Wow. Just heard that Chi Cheng of the Deftones has died. Very sad. Love that band."
Joining Frank was Slash who tweeted, "Just heard that Chi from the Deftones passed away. That's really sad news. I didn't really know him. But he was an awesome bass player. RIP." Slipknot's Corey said, "My friend Chi passed away. My heart goes out to his family, and to my friends in @deftones. This is indeed a sad day..."
Aaron posted a photograph of Chi along with a caption read, "R.I.P. Chi Cheng. Really sad to hear news of his passing. Brilliant musician gone too soon." Meanwhile, My Chemical Romance's former frontman Gerard wrote, "So incredibly heartbreaking to hear the news of Chi's passing. My thoughts are with his family, and all of you."
Chi had a terrible car accident in 2008 in Santa Clara. According to a report, he wasn't wearing a seat belt when the car he drove with his sister collided with another car. His sister suffered minor injuries while Chi himself was in a coma. He recovered slowly, and in 2009, he was said to be in a semi-conscious state.
