Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington died of an apparent suicide Thursday morning. Bennington was 41 years old. TMZ first reported that police in Palos Verdes Estates, in Los Angeles County, told them that Bennington’s body had been discovered just before 9 a.m.
The singer left behind six children. The Linkin Park front man struggled with alcoholism and drug use for years.
Bennington had said before that he considered committing suicide several times because he had been molested as a child by an older male.
Chester Bennington died at 41 at his Los Angeles apartment
The death was later confirmed by Bennington’s fellow Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda. Shinoda tweeted he was shocked and heartbroken and confirmed the terrible news. He added that an official statement would come out as soon as they have one.
The lead singer was also close with Chris Cornell, Audioslave’s lead singer who also committed suicide by hanging back in May. When he died, Bennington wrote an open letter to him, in which he wished for him to find peace “in the next life.”
“I just watched a video of you singing ‘A day in the life’ by The Beatles and thought of my dream,” wrote Bennington in his letter to Chris Cornell. “I’d like to think you were saying goodbye in your own way. I can’t imagine a world without you in it. I pray you find peace in the next life. I send my love to your wife and children, friends and family. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.”
Cornell would have turned 53 years old today. Cornell’s wife, Vicky, after hearing about Bennington’s death, tweeted a message saying “Just when I thought my heart couldn’t break anymore… I love you, T.”
News of his passing has ignited social media, as Bennington was a beloved singer in the music community. Police officials have yet to announce further details regarding his death.
Linkin Park’s last LP had just been released in May
Bennington was born March 20, 1976, in Phoenix. He once told Metal Hammer he had a rough childhood and was constantly beaten and molested by an older friend when he was seven or eight years old.
“It destroyed my self-confidence,” said Bennington, according to Metal Hammer. “Like most people, I was too afraid to say anything. I didn’t want people to think I was gay or that I was lying. It was a horrible experience.”
As he grew older, he started experiencing with drugs, such as opium, marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine, and alcohol. He decided to quit drugs in 1992, although he relapsed later in his life. Bennington moved to Los Angeles and auditioned for a band called Xero, which later on would be known as Linkin Park.
Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, was an immediate hit when it was released in 2000. The album even reached Number Two on Billboard, with memorable hits like “Papercut,” “In the End,” and “Crawling.” The band kept on releasing records and worked with some of the music industry’s most iconic people. Their last LP, “One More Light,” had just been released in May.
Source: Rolling Stone