Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Dies at 41: Reports

By Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
July 20, 2017Updated: July 20, 2017

Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, reportedly killed himself on July 20.

Bennington was 41.

TMZ reported Thursday afternoon that the singer hanged himself. His body was discovered at around 9 a.m. local time on Thursday. Citing its sources, the entertainment website reported “the singer hanged himself at a private residence in Palos Verdes Estates in L.A. County.”

BURBANK, CA - MAY 22:  Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs on stage at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party presented by State Farm at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles on May 22, 2017 in Burbank, California.  (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs on stage at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party presented by State Farm at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles on May 22, 2017 in Burbank, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

He is survived by six children.

Bennington reportedly struggled from drug and alcohol abuse for years. He’s spoken about his battle with depression in the past.

As People magazine noted, Bennington “was a close friend of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell—who also committed suicide by hanging in May—and spoke at his funeral. Bennington’s body was found on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.”

BURBANK, CA - MAY 22:  Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs on stage at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party presented by State Farm at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles on May 22, 2017 in Burbank, California.  (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs on stage at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party presented by State Farm at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles on May 22, 2017 in Burbank, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Linkin Park, in the early 2000s, had a string of huge hits, including “Crawling,” “In The End,” “Papercut,” and “Faint.” Their debut, “Hybrid Theory,” in 2000, was certified Diamond, selling more than 11 million units in the United States alone.

“Meteora,” their follow-up album, sold more than 27 million copies around the world.

Linkin Park’s most recent album, “One More Light,” reached the top of the Billboard 200 earlier this year.