We've all been there in some capacity – a loved one or a good friend is hanging on to life by a thread, and as much as you really want them around as long as possible, you know deep down that maybe it's best if they weren't.
After being in a coma post-accident since 2008, Deftones' bassist Chi Cheng passed away in 2013, and Abe Cunningham tells Broward Palm Beach New Times that Cheng's passing was exactly that relief.
“Honestly, the most emotionally draining and cathartic album was the Diamond Eyes record, because that is when everything happened,” Cunningham remembers of the time surrounding Cheng’s accident. “His passing, for me, was a relief. For him, for his family, for us, when his accident happened, it wasn’t immediate. He was seriously injured and left in a minimally conscious state for five years. All the initial emotion was when the accident happened, and to have him pass was a relief after all those years… This is the first album with him not being here, but he’s still here. He had a tremendous spirit, and he’s here with us. I miss that dude more than anything.”
Ever since, Deftones have been channeling Cheng's spirit into three great records, and we even got to hear a song off Cheng's last effort, the unreleased/mythical Eros.
