From their formation in 1983, Chuck Schuldiner was the creative center of the influential heavy metal band Death. Combining strong songwriting with powerful, brutally delivered lyrics, the group was nothing if not extreme. Seeking a project a little closer to his classic metal roots, in 1996, Schuldiner assembled Control Denied, a band that borrowed most of Death's personnel and added the strong and clear vocals of Tim Aymar. The project produced one album, The Fragile Art of Existence, issued in 1999, before Schuldiner began experiencing pain in his neck and shoulder. He began intensive radiation therapy, which succeeded in breaking apart the tumor found on his brain stem, but both Control Denied and Death were on indefinite hiatus until he regained his health. Cancer claimed Chuck Schuldiner on December 13, 2001; he was 34 years of age. Singer Tim Aymar died on February 13, 2023, at age 59.