Chester Bennington, lead singer of alt-rock band Linkin Park, was found dead Thursday in his Palos Verdes Estates home, the victim of an apparent suicide by hanging.
The grisly scene was discovered by a housekeeper. Bennington, who struggled with drug addicton for much of his life, had moved into the upscale neighborhood about a month ago, according to one neighbor.
The rock star was married with six children and had sung at the May funeral of a rocker friend who hanged himself.
Officers were sent to the 2800 block of Via Victoria about 9 a.m., the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department reported.
The death of Bennington, 41, was being investigated as an apparent suicide, said coroner’s Chief Brian Elias.
“Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true,” his bandmate Mike Shinoda tweeted just after noon.
Bennington was a close friend of singer Chris Cornell of the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell, who would have turned 53 Thursday, killed himself by hanging on May 18, and Bennington sang at his funeral.
Like Cornell, Bennington had long struggled with substance abuse, which began after his parents divorced when he was 11. The married father of six often spoke out against drug use in interviews.
At the same time Bennington’s body was discovered, but before news of his death became public, Linkin Park released the music video for the newest single from its seventh studio album, “One More Light.” In “Talking to Myself,” the third track from the album, Bennington addresses his history of substance abuse from the perspective of his wife. The song starts out this way: “Tell me what I’ve gotta do/There’s no getting through to you/The lights are on but nobody’s home.”
The band was set to go on tour starting July 27 in Boston, with dates stretching into the fall.
Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow said Bennington’s “powerful range, paired with his impressive songwriting skills, made him a bona fide hard rock hero.”
“His riveting stage presence made every live performance magnetic, earning him millions of fans around the globe,” Portnow said. “Having put as much passion into charitable causes as he did his musical craft, we were honored to pay tribute to him at our 2013 MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert, where he lent his time and talents to help raise money to assist members of the music community with the addiction treatment process.”
Fans took to Twitter to offer their condolences, with many saying his music had gotten them through tough times and others urging people to seek help if they have thoughts of suicide.
One woman wrote, “I remember finding Linkin Park and their music helping me in my darkest days
Donnie Wahlberg, a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, recalled that Linkin Park was the first band he took his oldest son to see.
“Chester Bennington was a genius & a gentleman. He inspired both of us,” he tweeted.
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams wrote: “RIP Chester Bennington. My thoughts are with his family & friends today. He & LinkinPark are the kindest folks you could ever hope(d) to meet.”
Bennington’s last use of Twitter was on Tuesday, when he retweeted an AP science writer’s link to a story based on a global study about the world’s plastic waste.
–City News Service