Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (May 13, 1967, Long Island, New York – December 13, 2001) was an American musician and genre innovator. He is best known for being the founder, singer, rhythm/lead guitar player and main songwriter of Death, which he founded in 1983 as Mantas, and was one of the first bands of the death metal genre. He played an important role in the development of death metal with his band Death, which later evolved into more of a progressive metal sound. In 1998, he put Death on indefinite hiatus and founded another band, Control Denied. Music biographers have referred to Schuldiner as the father of death metal.[
Battle with cancer
In May 1999, Schuldiner experienced pain in his upper neck, which he initially thought was a pinched nerve. He consulted with a chiropractor followed by a massage therapist/acupuncturist who recommended an MRI Exam. He was correct about the pinched nerve; unfortunately, it was being caused by a tumor. On his birthday, May 13, 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with pontine glioma, a type of brain cancer that invades the brain stem and immediately underwent radiation therapy.

In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor had necrotized and that he was on the way to recovery. In January 2000, Schuldiner underwent surgery to remove what remained of his tumor. The operation was a success, however, the Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations would come to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner family could not afford. Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The money began to come in as the metal community, in total shock, realized that Schuldiner's life was in danger. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could lose his life due to lack of funds. The doctors that removed his tumor called the original diagnosis of pontine glioma a misdiagnosis.

Schuldiner continued to work on his music, continuing his work with Control Denied. About two years after his original diagnosis, in May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds. A press release called for support from everyone, including fellow artists. Jane Schuldiner urged all who read the statements about Schuldiner and his illness to go out and get insurance, showing her frustration in the American system. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance. Schuldiner received a chemotherapy drug called vincristine to help with his therapy. Like most drugs used in the treatment of cancer, the side effects were harsh and weakened Chuck greatly. Undaunted, Schuldiner fought on. In late October/early November, Schuldiner became ill with pneumonia. He died on December 13, 2001, at approximately 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

[edit] Legacy
His mother, Jane Schuldiner, handles his legacy. She frequently interacts with Schuldiner's fans and has stated many times that she enjoys his music. Schuldiner's sister Beth seems to keep track of his recordings. Beth has a son named Christopher, who also plays guitar and has all of Schuldiner's guitars except his first one, which his mother keeps.

Although Schuldiner never married or had children, he dated a woman named Kim for several years, his second long-term relationship.

Despite his passing, his legacy lives on through his fans and his recordings. However, a legal battle is in progress on the settlement of the rights to the partially completed second Control Denied album. Part of these incomplete recordings were released in the Zero Tolerance two-part compilation of Death's early demos.

[edit] Religion
Although his parents were both Jewish, Schuldiner was raised in an irreligious home and he did not go through any formal religious training. In the documentary, "666 At Calling Death", he was asked whether Satanism was a part of his music. He replied, "Not at all. I really don't want to involve any type of religious theme in our music. I think that's more of a personal thing. Yeah, I'm not a satanist and I definitely don't put that into our music. No purpose. When the band started out, I was really young when the band first started out. I was never really into writing satanic lyrics at all, personally. We did write gore lyrics, but it was more like kind of tongue-in-cheek, horror-movie type level. Nothing... Encouraging people to go out and hurt themselves or anything stupid like that. It's pure fantasy-movie type, scary stuff. And then, I just really got into writing about reality, which is what we all have to deal with."

Despite creating the original Death logo, he later changed the inverted cross 't' to an upright one precisely so fans and critics would not link the band with anything 'evil'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Schuldiner