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Chuck Schuldiner

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Chuck Schuldiner

Charles Michael Schuldiner (/ʃlˈdnər/; May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001) was an American musician. He cofounded the pioneering Florida death metal band Death in 1983, in which he was the guitarist, primary songwriter and only continuous member until his death in 2001. He became the lead vocalist in 1985 after original drummer and vocalist Kam Lee left the band. His obituary in the January 5, 2002, issue of Kerrang! described him as "one of the most significant figures in the history of metal." Schuldiner was ranked No. 10 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists in 2009[citation needed] and No. 20 in March 2004 Guitar World's "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists". In 1987, Schuldiner founded the publishing company Mutilation Music, affiliated with performance rights organization BMI. Schuldiner died in 2001 of a brain tumor.

Charles Michael Schuldiner was born on May 13, 1967, on Long Island, New York. His father Mal Schuldiner was Jewish and the son of Austrian immigrants, and his mother Jane Schuldiner was from the American South and had converted to Judaism. He had two siblings, Beth and Frank Schuldiner.

In 1968, his family moved to Florida. The area was relatively undeveloped, and Schuldiner spent much of his time playing with his siblings in the wooded areas around his house. He became interested in art, music and sculpting at an early age, and started playing guitar at the age of nine. His older brother, Frank, was killed in a car accident, according to a Guitar World interview with Jane; a Hulu documentary titled "Into the Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal", which had an episode focused on Schuldiner, stated that Frank died due to a gunshot wound to the head while visiting family in South Carolina. Schuldiner, who was very close with his brother, "never really came to terms with" the latter's passing, according to his mother. Schuldiner's parents bought him an acoustic guitar to help him cope with the grieving process. Schuldiner quickly grew bored of guitar lessons, and found more interest in playing the electric guitar. According to his mother, "From the first time he played the electric guitar it was as if a switch was turned on in him and it never turned off".

Through his parents, Schuldiner was exposed to a wide range of other influences. He was particularly interested in the metal movement known as NWOBHM – New Wave of British Heavy Metal – and cited bands of that genre among his favorites. Schuldiner cited progressive metal bands such as Watchtower, and Queensrÿche as influences in a 1991 interview, as well as Kiss and Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate and Raven were among the bands that he claimed as influences in a 1993 interview. The official Schuldiner website, Empty Words, quotes Schuldiner's mother making the claim that he enjoyed all forms of music except country and rap.

Schuldiner's mother said he formed his first band in the family's garage a few years after his brother's death. She stated he played his first live show at age 15 in a park near the family's residence in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Schuldiner performed well in school before becoming bored with education and eventually dropping out. He later regretted this decision. He has stated that if he had not become a musician, he would have liked to have become a veterinarian or a cook.

Taking inspiration from Nasty Savage, Schuldiner formed Mantas (which he later renamed Death) in 1983 when he was 16 years old. He played guitar in the band, while Rick Rozz was on guitar and Kam Lee played the drums and performed the vocals. In January 1986, Schuldiner moved to Toronto and temporarily joined the Canadian band Slaughter. However, he quickly returned to continue the formation of Death.

Death underwent many lineup changes. With Chris Reifert, Schuldiner eventually released the first Death album, titled Scream Bloody Gore, in 1987. He continued with 1988's Leprosy with the line-up of former Mantas guitarist Rick Rozz and rhythm section Terry Butler on bass and Bill Andrews on drums, and 1990's Spiritual Healing, where guitarist James Murphy had replaced Rozz in 1989.

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