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BIOGRAPHY Early life Chuck Schuldiner was born on May 13 1967 in Long Island, New York to a Jewish family of Austrian descent. In 1968, his family moved to Florida . Schuldiner was the youngest of three children. He had an older brother named Frank and an older sister named Bethann. Schuldiner started playing at the age of 9. His 16 year old brother had just been killed in a car accident and his parents bought him a guitar, thinking it would help with his grief. He took classical lessons for less than a year, but did not like it, so he stopped. Then his parents saw an electric guitar at a yard sale and bought that for him and he absolutely loved it. After getting him amps, he never stopped playing, writing and teaching himself. Schuldiner was in the garage or his room playing his guitar just about all day on Saturday and Sunday but was limited to three hours on weekdays when school was in session. Schuldiner first played in public in his early teens. Schuldiner was originally inspired by Iron Maiden , KISS and Billy Idol , among others. Slayer , Possessed and Metallica were later influences he would apply more to his own band, but his mother claims that he enjoyed all forms of music except Country and Rap . He also apparently particularly enjoyed Jazz and Classical Music in addition to metal. Although Schuldiner apparently did do well in school, school bored him and he eventually dropped out. He did regret this later, however. Schuldiner was also known for being openly against hard Drugs . This was reflected in various interviews and a few songs (notably "Living Monstrosity", which is about a cocaine addict born to a cocaine addicted mother) Musical career Schuldiner formed Death as "Mantas" in 1983. In January 1986, at a time when Death fell apart, Schuldiner temporarily joined the Canadian band Slaughter on guitar. However, he quickly returned to reform Death. It took him a long time and he went through many lineup changes with Death. With Chris Reifert , he eventually released his first album, as Death, titled '' Scream Bloody Gore '' in 1987. This album is widely considered to have laid the blueprint for Death Metal music. He continued with 1988's '' Leprosy '' and 1990s '' Spiritual Healing ''. After ''Spiritual...'', Schuldiner stopped working with hired musicians for bands and now worked only with studio musicians after bad relationships with Death's previous rythem section. This earned Schuldiner something of a "perfectionist" reputation in the metal community. Death's breakthrough album, '' Human '' saw the band evolving to a more technical and progressive style, in which Schuldiner displayed his guitar skills more than ever. He continued in this style (and continued the success of the band) with 1993s '' Individual Thought Patterns '', 1995s '' Symbolic '', and finally '' The Sound Of Perseverance '' in 1998. Schuldiner played guitar in the project Voodoo Cult on the album '' Jesus Killing Machine '' in 1994. Schuldiner folded Death after this to form a new band called Control Denied , and released '' The Fragile Art Of Existence '' in 1999. Battle with cancer In May 1999, Schuldiner started experiencing some 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, but 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. He immediately underwent Radiation Therapy . In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor was broken up, 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. Even though this seemed like good news, 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, Schuldiner fell ill again. His tumor had returned. 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. She showed her frustration in the American system. Schuldiner received an experimental drug called Vincristine to help with his therapy. The drug poisoned his system. However, Schuldiner fought on. In late October/early November, Schuldiner became ill with pneumonia. On December 13 2001 , at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time , Chuck Schuldiner died. 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 was engaged to a woman named Kim when he died. The couple's marriage may have been postponed by Schuldiner's cancer treatments. 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. DISCOGRAPHY With Death
With Control Denied
With Voodoo Cult
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