VOIVOD Singer SNAKE's Partner CHRISTINE MCDONALD Dies After Battle With Cancer

Christine McDonald, the partner of VOIVOD singer Denis "Snake" Bélanger, died on Wednesday, October 28 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

Earlier today, VOIVOD shared a photo of Snake and Christine on social media and included the following message: "It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Christine McDonald, beloved partner of our singer Denis 'Snake' Bélanger, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

"Christine was a gifted painter, a warm presence, and a dear friend to so many in the VOIVOD family. Snake stepped away from touring this year to be by her side, and he was with her until the very end.

"In his own words: 'She passed away quietly in my arms... You're free now, my love.'

"Our thoughts are with Denis, Christine's family, and everyone who loved her. We ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.

"Rest in peace, Christine."

On Wednesday, Snake took to his Facebook page to write: "My sweety love is gone... R.I.P. Christine Anne McDonald."

This past March, Snake and Christine gave a joint interview to Canada's The Metal Voice in which they discussed her cancer battle. You can watch the chat below.

In August, Carol Langevin, brother of VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 60.

VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour died in August 2005 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer.

When D'Amour died more than two decades ago from cancer, it seemed VOIVOD was very much a memory. Then in 2008, the Canadian metal innovators surprised most by coming out of retirement to play the first Heavy MTL festival with a new-old lineup: original member Jean-Yves Thériault (a.k.a. Blacky) was back behind his blower bass and MARTYR's Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain was playing guitar.

At first what was assumed would only be a one-off soon grew to become a return to live action for the band. The next summer saw the band play almost every European metal fest and support DOWN on a cross-Canada tour and things just kept building from there. The metal world soon discovered that if there was one guitarist who could replace Piggy properly, it was Mongrain, who proved show after show that he was up for the job.

In July 2014, VOIVOD parted ways with Blacky and replaced him with Dominic "Rocky" Laroche.

VOIVOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Québec. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, VOIVOD have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to create their own unique metal style, and are credited as one of the "big four" Canadian thrash metal bands, along with SACRIFICE, RAZOR and ANNIHILATOR. They are considered by many as one of the most influential metal bands from the '80s, influencing and gaining praise from multiple bands and across numerous genres.

VOIVOD found mainstream success in the late 1980s with their fifth studio album, "Nothingface" (1989),which is the band's only album to enter The Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 114.

Photo courtesy of VOIVOD