Chi Cheng (born July 15th, 1970) was the original bassist for the Deftones. He was born in Davis, but he moved with his family to Stockton at around the age of 2. In 1988, he graduated from Tokay High School in Lodi. As a young adult, Chi attended California State University, Sacramento.
Tragedy struck the musician on November 4, 2008 in Santa Clara. As the result of a devastating car collision, Chi fell into a deep coma. This state persisted for the next few years with small signs of improvement appearing in 2010. In February of 2012, Chi showed signs of partial consciousness which seemed to indicate the beginnings of a slow recovery. He was sometimes able to respond to voices with slight movements of his body.
Chi's family had some difficulty in coming up with enough money to pay for his medical expenses. To raise funds, they developed http://oneloveforchi.com/ to ask for support from his fans and the general public.
Sadly, Chi never fully recovered from his coma. He passed away due to heart failure on April 14, 2014.