Have you ever heard of the famous rock band, Linkin Park? You probably did, didn’t you? Seeing that you would live under a rock if you did not know about these legends. As they not only sold more than a hundred million records worldwide but the band’s first studio album, Hybrid Theory, happens to be one of the best-selling albums in the United States. Considering that twelve million copies of the said album were shipped and thirty million were sold globally. Thus, it is no surprise that MTV2 reported Linkin Park as the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third best of the millennium! Of course, all the credit goes to the great effort of the group’s wrong members, as the rock band’s success would not be possible without them. Especially the lead vocalist “Chester Charles Bennington” of Linkin Park. Whose great vocal range and creative abilities brought a revival for the band. Ultimately leading to them becoming one of the most famous rock acts. However, his sudden death shook their fans worldwide to their core, as well as the band. More or less, his unexpected death made everyone wonder how did Chester Bennington die and what happened?
Here are all the details you need to know about Chester Bennington death.
Chester Bennington: How Did Linkin Park Lead Vocalist Die?
Who would ever have that powerhouse vocalist of Linkin Park take his own life? Yes, Chester Bennington attempted suicide and got successful in it. Subsequently leaving the world devastated by his death. Seeing that nobody could have thought that he was on the verge of committing suicide as:
- Less than two months before his death, he was performing as a frontman for his rock band in a concert on May 26, 2017.
- Giving tribute to his close friend, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who just passed away.
- His honest voice of pain was still audible to the hearers. As he shares with the attendees in his concert that night,
“My name is Chester.”
- Remembering his friend, we hear him saying that:
“he had the great privilege of being a friend of Chris and invited to be a member of his family.”
- Surprisingly, his death also happened on Chris Cornell’s 53rd birthday (if he was alive).
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Not only that,
- He was also performing two weeks before his death.
Moreover,
- He was also on vacation with his wife and family in Arizona.
But, suddenly, he said to his family that he had work to do. So, he will have to go back home, for that matter. Thus, as a result,
- He returns to his home alone from the said vacation.
- Soon after his return, his dead body was found by his housekeeper at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, on July 20, 2017, around 9:00 a.m.
- His death was declared as suicide by hanging.
- However, there was no suicide note.
Revelations Regarding His Death:
Later on, Brian Elias, who was the chief of operations for the office of the medical examiner-coroner, happened to unveil on July 21 that:
- A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found at the scene.
- However, no drugs were present at his home, where he took his last breath.
As per the toxicology report in December,
- They also found “a trace amount” of alcohol in Bennington’s system at the time of his death.
Chester Bennington Death & His Struggle With Addiction?
It seems almost unreal that the man, who was going to perform a week after his sudden death on a Linkin Park 29-date North American tour, is no longer with us.
Chester Bennington’s death significantly impacted not only his family but also his band. Thus,
- It does not come as a surprise that his bandmates cancelled the tour.
- The band has been on hiatus ever since his death.
Although it is known that Chester Bennington always struggled with addiction, we also know that he eventually got rid of his addiction problem. This is also one of the reasons why people close to him were in utter disbelief when they found out how Chester Bennington died in the end. Seeing that:
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- He decided to stay sober long ago.
- He was also part of the event “Rock to Recovery,” – an organization for heavy musicians.
- A month before his death, he told his friend and bandmate Ryan Shuck (Dead by Sunrise) that he was six months straight.
- His friends and family members also shared that he was pretty healthy.
- Besides, he was also in contact with his friends a few days before his death via texting.
- As per his friends, all his messages were positive, bright and uplifting.
However, all of them agreed that they perhaps missed a few signs here and there.
His Dark Past & Struggling Childhood Acting As Crucial Factor For His Death:
Unfortunately, Chester Bennington’s gruesome addiction issues resulted from his dark past and struggling childhood.
Sexual Abuse:
- Did you know that the rock singer was a victim of sexual abuse?
- An older male friend molested him when he was only seven years old.
- As a little child, he was afraid to ask for help because he feared that people might think he was lying or gay.
- As a result, the predator subjected him to abuse until he was 13 years old.
- It was only years later that he finally revealed the abuser’s identity to his father (who was a police detective working on child abuse cases).
- However, he did not press any charges against him.
His Parents Divorce:
- His parents divorce at the age of 11 was a cherry on top in this case.
- Seeing that the abuse and his situation at home made him mentally disturbed – he wanted to run away and kill people.
- Custody issues also took a toll on him – even though he did try to comfort him by drawing pictures and writing poetry and songs.
- He was also in depression because of it.
Bullying:
- Not only that, but he was also constantly bullied in high school.
- He once highlighted in an interview that:
“he was knocked around like a rag doll at school, for being skinny and looking different.”
Because of all these factors, he consequently started taking excessive amounts of alcohol, marijuana, opium, cocaine, meth, and LSD.
Chester Bennington Memorial Service:
- The Linkin lead vocalist’s funeral occurred at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, California, on July 29.
- His family members and, close friends, many musicians attended his memorial service
- The stage was set with multiple musical tributes throughout the whole service.
