Chester Bennington, the rock musician best known as the lead singer of the post-grunge band Linkin Park, has died by apparent suicide, as first reported by TMZ and confirmed by Variety and Bennington’s Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda on Twitter.
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington dies at 41
Linkin Park made history as one of the world’s most successful post-grunge rock bands.
Aja Romano wrote about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they’re considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars.
According to TMZ, law enforcement sources said Bennington died by hanging at his Palos Verdes, California, home Thursday morning. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed and the case is still under investigation by the LA County Coroner’s Office.
As a part of Linkin Park, Bennington smashed records and made music history. The group’s debut album Hybrid Theory — which features perhaps their most well-known song, “In the End” — was the best-selling album of 2001, and has sold more than 10 million copies in the US and 27 million worldwide. The group’s 2003 album Meteora, which featured their famous single “Numb,” was the only alternative chart topper in history to produce five No. 1 singles. The band’s most recent No. 1 album came in May of this year, when One More Light topped the Billboard 200 chart.
Bennington’s death follows the May death of his close friend Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. Bennington performed in tribute to Cornell at his funeral and wrote an open letter to him on the day of Cornell’s death; today would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.
Bennington is survived by his wife, Talinda Ann Bentley, and six children.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
