Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington Dead At 41, Celebrities Honor Singer On Social Media

Chester Bennington, frontman of the nu metal and platinum-selling band Linkin Park, was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, CA on Thursday. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed the singer’s death as an apparent suicide. Brian Elias, chief of operations at the Coroner’s Office said the authorities responded to a 911 call shortly after 9 AM.

Bennington was known for his piercing vocals and releasing 7 albums with Linkin Park, the most recent being “One More Light,” which dropped in May of this year and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts. The band was supposed to kick off their US tour on July 27th in Massachusetts.

Bennington has a side project, Dead by Sunrise, and was also the frontman of the band Stone Temple Pilots after former vocalist Scott Weiland left in 2013.

Chester Bennington in Saw 3D (2010). Photo by Lionsgate Films

Coincidentally, today is also the birthday of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, also one of Bennington’s closest friends. He performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at Cornell’s funeral. Back in May, Bennington responded to Cornell’s death by saying, “I can’t imagine a world without you in it,” he wrote on Twitter. “I pray you find peace in the next life… Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.”

Mike Shinoda, one of the band’s founders, posted a tweet saying that he was “shocked and heartbroken” and that the band will be issuing a statement soon.

Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) July 20, 2017

Bennington was very open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol addiction, which were also some of the themes of his songs with Linkin Park. “My life was falling apart in many ways that I was writing about on this record in terms of getting divorced, in terms of diving very hard into alcohol and drugs throughout this process,” he confessed in a 2009 interview with Noisecreep.

Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda in 2014. Photo by Stefan Brending/Wikimedia Commons

“I don’t have a problem with people knowing that I had a drinking problem. That’s who I am and I’m kind of lucky in a lot of ways cause I get to do something about it. I get to grow as a person through it. It’s kind of a cool thing. It’s not cool to be an alcoholic, meaning it’s not cool to go drink and be a dumbass. It’s cool to be a part of recovery. This is just who I am, this is what I write about, what I do, and most of my work has been a reflection of what I’ve been going through in one way or another.”

Celebrities Remember Chester Bennington Online

Earlier today, pop artists including Rihanna and Chance The Rapper paid tribute to Bennington. Now, more members of the music community have posted their tribute to the late Linkin Park frontman. Among them are Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Mountain Goat’s John Darnielle, Rappers Timbaland and Stormzy, Pharrell Williams, My Chemical Romance and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. Check out their posts below:

artists are ppl compelled to bring beauty into a world that can be so dark. makes sense then that artists are always conscious of darkness..

— hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) July 20, 2017

… & maybe at times made more vulnerable by it? i don’t know. life can be relentless. heart hurts for Chester’s family/band/friends/fans.

— hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) July 20, 2017

Linkin Park meant a LOT to a lot of kids I used to take care of in treatments & placements & therefore to me, too. Very sad today.

— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) July 20, 2017

Our thoughts and prayers are with @linkinpark and Chester’s friends and family. #RIPChester pic.twitter.com/45B0vMQZtP

— Timbaland (@Timbaland) July 20, 2017

I am heartbroken you do not know what someone’s going through serious. Prayers up for your family right now my brother ❤️💔❤️💔

— #GSAP (@Stormzy1) July 20, 2017

We are deeply saddened by Chester’s death. We loved him. Our condolences to Chester’s family, Linkin Park, and all of their loved ones.

— My Chemical Romance (@MCRofficial) July 20, 2017

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