Avid Linkin Park fans around the world are currently mourning the sudden death of the band’s frontman, Chester Bennington. According to the reports, the singer died of an apparent suicide by hanging on Thursday at the age of 41.
At the time of the incident, Bennington was home alone in his Palos Verdes Estates residence in Los Angeles County since his family (wife Talinda Bentley and their three children) were out of town. As per Palos Verdes Estates police Capt. Mark Velez, the body of the singer was found by a housekeeper.
Under investigation
Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Joey Napoli shared that firefighters received a call at around 9 a.m.
on Thursday about a cardiac arrest case in Palos Verdes Estates. Even though the responding officers did not find any suicide note, L.A. County medical examiner-coroner department chief Brian Elias said the coroner’s office is conducting a “death investigation.” The authorities also said Bennington’s death is treated as a possible suicide by hanging.
Mental health issues
The entire music and entertainment industry was shocked and heartbroken due to the untimely death of a talented musician on Thursday. Several stars like Rihanna, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jimmy Kimmel, among many others, took to social media to express their grief and condolences.
Linkin Park fellow band mate Mike Shinoda also took to Twitter to confirm Bennington’s death.
Shinoda tweeted, “Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”
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
Chester was one of the kindest men I've had on my show. My heart breaks for his family and friends. He will be missed terribly.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) July 20, 2017
Oh dear God. Massive R.I.P to Chester Bennington of @linkinpark this BREAKS OUR HEART. Suicide is the devil on earth walking amongst us 😞
— OneRepublic (@OneRepublic) July 20, 2017
Rest in peace, Chester Bennington. Thank you for sharing your music and voice with the world. You will be missed. https://t.co/zAkm6dBLrE pic.twitter.com/KjSP5Zl6v3
— DeviantArt (@DeviantArt) July 20, 2017
Along with their messages of condolences, however, came a call for the significance of dealing with mental health issues because of the singer’s troubled past.
Avid fans appreciated his extraordinary talent and his heartfelt vocals but in reality, his voice was filled with “anguish.”
Troubled past
Chester Bennington admitted that he had a “rough childhood” after he was sexually molested and beaten by an older friend. According to Rolling Stone, the abuse started when the singer was seven-years-old.
In a confession to Metal Hammer, Bennington said the incident “destroyed” his self-confidence. He said, “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.”
Aside from being a victim of sexual abuse at a very young age, he also became addicted to drugs. In fact, he was using marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and opium, along with alcohol. Even though he ditched drugs in 1992, addiction still became a part of his life. Apart from addiction, being raped also made Bennington “completely insane for a little while.”
Chris Cornell’s death
Bennington’s death came after the suicide of his close pal and Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell in May.
During Cornell’s memorial service, Bennington reportedly sang the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.
Meanwhile, Linkin Park was scheduled to go on tour next week, which will start in Boston. The band’s tour came after the release of their latest album titled, “One More Light” in May.
Linkin Park honors their friend Chris Cornell https://t.co/3mPC4RHCoE
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) July 20, 2017