Hi Claudio, Travis, Josh and Zach,
My Daughter Bella died in July 2020. It was sudden and unexpected, at age 19. A gifted artist, she was my world and I miss her more than I can say. Being dads, I’m sure you get it - it is the unthinkable, and the very worst thing I could have ever imagined. The unspoken fear that all parents have - what if something happens to my child - happened.
I’m writing to share how important your music was to our relationship - and how it still connects me to her today.
This letter has been years in the making and, with your upcoming trip to Austin it has impeled me to reach out.
She was - and I am -massive Coheed and Cambria fans. I introduced you to her when she was 10 shortly after I discovered No World for Tomorrow. We were hooked. When she was old enough I took her to see you live; we saw you together twice and had a third on deck when the pandemic cancelled everything in 2020.
We were a team and incredibly close. She was undiagnosed on the autistic spectrum (very high functioning) for a long time and we had some rough years as a teen. I was a single dad and she lived with me full time since the age of 8 or so but no matter what we always had a full love/no BS relationship. Together, over time, we learned that her autism was not a detriment, but a part of her and, when it comes to her artistic nature, almost a superpower. She was thriving, happy, and producing art at a dizzying pace when she left us, with a legacy of over 2500 scanned works that Ive saved ranging from prints to doodles to everything in between.
She grew up with art and music and she exhibited at Anime Expo via her own table in Artist Alley since age 11 all the way through her final year. She’s the only artist (and based on changing rule will be the only artist ever) who exhibited yearly from such a young age. We would work her table during the day while also cosplaying and then would geek out in the evening. She did art constantly and she even had a well-developed graphic novel she was working on which I intend to complete.
Through all of this your music was a central part of our lives and helped us become closer. We spent countless hours singing C&C songs in the car in what she called “CAReoke”, and our favorite was A Favor House Atlantic. We would belt it out at the top of our lungs when driving the streets of LA almost any chance we could get. We had favorites on all albums and she dove deeply into The Unheavenly Creatures. I remember when she sat me down to make sure I listened to Toys, and she especially loved The Gutter. Every time a new release comes out I cant help but think of her and how much we’d enjoy listening together.
Even now your music is bringing us closer. I can feel her talking to me via your acoustic “The Gutter” and I hear it like never before. I also discovered Prize Fighter Inferno in 2021 and “Stay Where You Are” (cant believe we missed PFI all these years) and it hit me between the eyes. She, too, would have loved it.
I wanted you to know that we created a number of tribute videos documenting birth to her last years, comprised of photos, her art, and the music she loved. My favorite is her final years, imbedded here, scored to Coheed & Cambria. It also contains live footage of her at the last Coheed and Cambria show we saw. It’s the best tribute I could imagine. I thought you’d appreciate it. (Note this video is not public at this time.)
Thank you for what you do, who you are and the magic that you create. Thank you for the difference you made for Bella and I.
She will live on through The Bella Organization, a 501(c)3 focused on making a difference for high functioning kids on the spectrum who wish to pursue art, and also through her works and stories of her triumph, which I am beginning to curate. But you guys have been there all the way and will continue to be.
I guess I just wanted you to know how much a part of our lives you were, and how you still keep me connected to her. I’m looking forward to seeing you live in Austin and I know she will be there with me in spirit.
Thank you for being such an important part of our lives.
James
Sapphire Dragons Art - a small subset of her work