Chi Cheng, Deftones bassist, dies at 42

Chi Cheng of The Deftones died Saturday. He was 42 years old.

The bassist from Grammy award-winning band the "Deftones" has died more than four years after a horrific car crash left him fighting for his life.

Chi Cheng, 42, passed away about 3 a.m. Saturday morning after his heart stopped and he was rushed to a Sacramento, Calif., emergency room.

He had been in and out of comas since the huge head-on collision in November 2008, when the car he was driving -- with his sister in the passenger seat -- hit another vehicle and rolled.

Cheng was not wearing a seat-belt and was launched from the car. His sister, who was wearing her seatbelt, escaped with minor injuries.

Cheng’s mother, Jeanne Marie Cheng, confirmed the news of his death on his website OneLoveForChi.com.

"I know that you will always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every one of you," she wrote.

"He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear,” she continued. “He fought the good fight. You stood by him sending love daily."

Cheng co-founded the nu-metal California group in the late 1980s with pals Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham - and performed on their first five albums.

They won a Best Metal Performance Grammy in 2001.

Deftones vocalist Moreno wrote on his Facebook page: "Rest in peace Chi Cheng."

Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst also paid tribute, by posting on Twitter: "Rest in peace Chi. My most sincere prayers are with him and his family. Chi forever. Deftones forever."

- NY Daily News