Earlier this morning a report from TMZ reported that Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Bennington has committed suicide. According to the gossip outlet, law enforcement sources gave them the information that Bennington committed suicide by hanging, and was found in his home in Palos Verdes Estates this morning. His body was found just before 9 AM today. The news of his death has been officially confirmed by Variety.
He was married twice, and is survived by six children.
Throughout his life, Bennington repeatedly struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and was very close with Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who also committed suicide earlier this year. Bennington even performed Leonard Cohen’s heartbreaking “Hallelujah” at Cornell’s funeral, along with a eulogy, and also dedicated the title track off the band’s latest album, “One More Light,” to Cornell’s memory. Today is also Chris Cornell’s birthday.
After their breakthrough almost twenty years ago in 2000, Linkin Park became one of the biggest nu-metal/alt rock bands in the world, and even collaborated with superstars like Jay-Z and many others. Their debut album Hybrid Theory achieved diamond status, and its follow-up, Meteora reached similar levels of success. The band released a brand new album in May of this year, One More Light, that topped the Billboard 200. It was their first record since 2014’s The Hunting Party. In 2013, Bennington briefly toured as the Stone Temple Pilots when the group fired their former lead singer, Scott Weiland.
