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50 Great Facts About Chester Bennington

Chester Bennington was an American singer and songwriter who served as the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist for the side projects Dead by Sunrise and Buckethead, and a member of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. With his powerful and wide vocal range, he delivered emotionally charged lyrics that resonated with millions of fans worldwide. Alongside his bandmates, Bennington helped shape the sound of nu-metal, a genre that fused heavy metal with elements of hip-hop and electronic music.

Bennington’s life was marked by both immense success and personal struggles. He rose to fame in the early 2000s with Linkin Park, and the band went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide. However, Bennington also battled with addiction and mental health issues throughout his life. Despite these challenges, he remained a passionate and dedicated artist, channelling his emotions into his music. In this article, we highlight 50 great facts about Chester Bennington.

1. Chester was the lead vocalist for the band Grey Daze amongst other bands

Chester was also a lead vocalist of Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise and Stone Temple Pilots at various points. Grey Daze is an alternative rock band from Phoenix, Arizona formed in 1993. They are known for being one of the first bands of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington.

Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California in 1989. Vocalist Chester Bennington joined the band in May 2013, but left amicably in November 2015.

2. Chester impressed Linkin Park with his powerful vocals during his audition, becoming the band’s lead singer

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Bennington had been frustrated and nearly quit his musical career altogether when Jeff Blue, the vice president of A&R at Zomba Music in Los Angeles, offered him an audition with the future members of Linkin Park.

Chester quit his day job at a digital services firm and travelled to California for the audition, in which he successfully won a place in the band. 

3. Bennington gained prominence as a vocalist after the release of Linkin Park’s debut album, Hybrid Theory 

Hybrid Theory released in 2000, was a worldwide commercial success. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005, making it the bestselling debut album of the decade, as well as one of the few albums ever to achieve that many sales.

Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to Hybrid Theory based on some early material. Shinoda characterized the lyrics as interpretations of universal feelings, emotions, and experiences, and as everyday emotions you talk about and think about.

4. Bennington formed his own band, Dead by Sunrise in 2005

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Dead by Sunrise was an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 2005 by vocalist Chester Bennington who was best known as the lead vocalist of Linkin Park. The band also consisted of Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony Valcic from Julien-K and Orgy. Dead by Sunrise’s debut studio album, Out of Ashes, was released worldwide on October 13, 2009.

Bennington became the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 to release the extended play record High Rise on October 8, 2013, via their own record label, Play Pen, but left in 2015 to focus solely on Linkin Park.

5. Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona

Chester Charles Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 20, 1976, to a mother who worked as a nurse and a father who investigated child sexual abuse cases as a police detective. He had two sisters and an older brother.

6. Bennington took an interest in music at a young age

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Chester mentioned the bands Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots as his earliest inspirations. Depeche Mode is an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed by the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists of Gahan and Gore.

Chester dreamed of becoming a member of Stone Temple Pilots, and would later become their lead singer for a time.

7. Chester faced childhood trauma, including sexual abuse

At age seven, an older male friend sexually abused him. Bennington was afraid to ask for help, not wanting people to think he was gay or a liar, and the abuse continued until age 13. Years later, he revealed the abuser’s name to his father but chose not to press charges.

8. Bennington’s parents divorced when he was 11 years old

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The abuse and his situation at home affected him so much that he felt the urge to kill everybody and run away.

To comfort himself, Bennington drew pictures and wrote poetry and songs. After the divorce, his father gained custody of him.

9. Bennington started abusing drugs while in high school

To comfort himself from everything happening around him, Bennington started abusing drugs, from alcohol, marijuana, opium, cocaine, meth, and LSD. He was bullied in high school, stating in an interview that he was knocked around like a rag doll at school, for being skinny and looking different.

In 1993, at the age of 17, Bennington moved in with his mother. He was banned from leaving the house for a time when she discovered his drug use.

10. Chester joined his first band, Sean Dowdell and His Friends?, in the early 1990s

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Bennington first began singing with a band called Sean Dowdell and His Friends? and together they released an eponymous three-track cassette in 1993. Later, Dowdell and Bennington moved on to form a post-grunge band called Grey Daze. The band recorded a demo in 1993 and two albums: Wake Me in 1994, and …No Sun Today in 1997. Bennington left Grey Daze in 1998.

11. In 2005, Bennington appeared on Walking Dead

Chester appeared as the lead single from turntablist Z-Trip’s debut album Shifting Gears. Bennington also made a surprise guest appearance during Z-Trip’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2005. 

Bennington re-recorded the M枚tley Cr眉e song Home Sweet Home as a duet with the band as a charity single for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. He also joined Alice in Chains and performed the song Man in the Box at KROQ’s Inland Invasion Festival in 2006.

12. Bennington performed with Kings of Chaos during their six-show 2016 concert tour

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Kings of Chaos is a hard rock supergroup with international membership featuring a core lineup of drummer Matt Sorum, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Gilby Clarke, all then formerly of Guns N’ Roses, as well as a revolving appearances from members of Def Leppard, Deep Purple, Aerosmith and more.

The group plays songs from all of these bands, and other classic rock covers. To date, they have only recorded and released one song, Never Before, on the Deep Purple tribute, Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head.

13. Chester was featured on Young Buck’s song Slow Ya Roll

In 2007, he was featured on Young Buck’s song Slow Ya Roll from his Buck The World album. David Darnell Brown, best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. 

He heads his record label, Cashville Records, formerly G-Unit South, and was a member of the former hip-hop group G-Unit.

14. Bennington recorded a track for Slash’s debut solo album

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Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician who serves as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Slash has received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Slash featured Chester in his 2010 eponymous debut solo album entitled Crazy but it was blocked from release. Slash rerecorded it with Lemmy on vocals and the retitled Doctor Alibi was added instead. In May 2021, a snippet of the original Bennington track was finally released.

15. Chester was the lead vocalist for Linkin Park’s seven studio albums

The band’s second album, after Hybrid Theory (2000), Meteora (2003), reached number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, as did its third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). Linkin Park has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. 

Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1.

16. Bennington was a tattoo enthusiast

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Chester had several tattoos, each holding personal significance and telling a story. He had done work and promotions with Club Tattoo, a tattoo parlour in Tempe, Arizona. Club Tattoo is owned by Sean Dowdell, Bennington’s friend since high school with whom he played in two bands.

17. Chester was married twice and had six children

Bennington had a son, Jaime, born May 12, 1996, from his relationship with Elka Brand. In 2006, he adopted Brand’s other son, Isaiah, born November 8, 1997. He married his first wife, Samantha Marie Olit, on October 31, 1996. They had one child together, Draven Sebastian, born on April 19, 2002. 

Bennington’s relationship with his first wife declined during his early years with Linkin Park, and they divorced in 2005. In 2006, he married Talinda Ann Bentley, a former Playboy model with whom he had three children: Tyler Lee Bennington, born March 16, 2006 and twins Lily and Lila, born November 9, 2011.

18. Bennington was a sports enthusiast and a fan of the Phoenix Suns

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Bennington was a fan of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Arizona Coyotes. The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. 

The Suns are the only team in their division not to be based in California. They play their home games at the Footprint Center. The Suns are one of four major league sports teams based in the Phoenix area but are the only one to bill themselves as representing the city, the Cardinals, Coyotes, and Diamondbacks all bill themselves as representing the state of Arizona.

19. In addition to music, Chester explored acting

Bennington made a cameo appearance in the 2006 film Crank as a customer in a pharmacy. He later appeared as a horse-track spectator in the film’s 2009 sequel, Crank: High Voltage.

Bennington also played the role of the ill-fated racist Evan in the 2010 film Saw 3D. He was one of several rock musicians who spoke about the industry in Jared Leto’s 2012 documentary, Artifact. Bennington was working with Church on developing an upcoming television show, Mayor of the World, with executive producer Trip Taylor.

20. Bennington was a critic of U.S. President Donald Trump

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Donald Trump is an American politician, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

On January 29, 2017, he tweeted that Trump was “a greater threat to the USA than terrorism”. This tweet resurfaced in July 2020 after Linkin Park sent Trump a cease and desist order for using In the End in an ad for his re-election campaign that year.

21. Bennington was described as being a warm tenor

His voice showed tremendous durability for the entirety of his career. Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone wrote: Bennington‘s voice embodied the anguish and wide-ranging emotions of the lyrics, from capturing life’s vulnerable moments to the fury and catharsis found in his belted screams, which he would often move between at the turn of a dime.

22. Bennington also considered himself as a huge Madonna fan

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Chester credited Madonna for making him grow up wanting to be a musician. Bennington stated that he was also influenced by Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Arcade Fire, Circle Jerks, Descendents, Deftones, Jane’s Addiction, Metallica, Fugazi, Refused, Ministry, Minor Threat, Misfits, The Naked and Famous, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Skinny Puppy, Soundgarden, and A Tribe Called Quest.

23. Bennington was plagued with poor health during the making of Meteora

He struggled to attend some of the album’s recording sessions. In the summer of 2003, he began to suffer from extreme abdominal pain and gastrointestinal issues while filming the music video for Numb in Prague. He was forced to return to the United States for surgery and filmed the remainder of the music video in Los Angeles.

Meteora is the second studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on March 25, 2003, through Warner Bros. Records, following Reanimation, a collaboration album which featured remixes of songs included on their 2000 debut studio album Hybrid Theory. 

24. Chester fell ill again forcing Linkin Park to reschedule their A Thousand Suns World Tour

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In 2011, Bennington fell ill again, and Linkin Park was forced to cancel three shows and reschedule two from the A Thousand Suns World Tour. A Thousand Suns World Tour was the worldwide sixth concert tour by American rock band Linkin Park. The tour supported the band’s fourth studio album A Thousand Suns.

Chester injured his shoulder during the band’s tour in Asia and was advised by doctors to have immediate surgery, cancelling their final show at Pensacola Beach, Florida, and ending their tour.

25. Bennington struggled with depression and substance abuse

Bennington overcame his drug addiction and would go on to denounce drug use in future interviews. He later battled with alcoholism during his tenure with Linkin Park, which he overcame following an intervention from his bandmates.

In 2011, he said he had quit drinking, noting: “I just don’t want to be that person anymore. Bennington injured his ankle in January 2015 during a basketball game. He attempted to cope with the injury and perform with the aid of crutches and a knee scooter. Linkin Park later cancelled the remainder of their tour to allow Bennington to undergo surgery and recover.

26. Bennington was a close friend of Chris Cornell

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Chester was regarded as a very close friend of Chris Cornell. They became friends during a tour they shared in the mid-2000s. The chemistry between the two had strengthened during the 2007鈥�2008 Projekt Revolution Tour when Bennington joined Cornell on stage to sing Temple of the Dog’s Hunger Strike, and then Cornell joined Linkin Park to sing Crawling.  He was also the godfather of Cornell’s son Christopher.

Cornell committed suicide on May 17, 2017. Bennington commented on Cornell’s death on Instagram, stating that he could not imagine a world without Cornell in it. Shinoda noted that Bennington was very emotional when the band performed One More Light in Cornell’s honour on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Bennington could not finish singing the song during rehearsal because he started getting choked up. The band was due to record a live performance of their single Heavy on the show, but Bennington decided instead to play One More Light after hearing the news about Cornell’s death since the song is about the loss of a friend. On May 26, 2017, a week after his Kimmel performance, Bennington sang Leonard Cohen’s song Hallelujah at Cornell’s funeral in Los Angeles.

27. Chester died by suicide at age 41

On July 20, 2017, at the age of 41, Bennington was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California. The coroner ruled his death a suicide by hanging. Bennington’s funeral was held on July 29 at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. In addition to his family members and close friends, many musicians who toured or played with Linkin Park also attended. The service also included a full stage for musical tributes.

28. After Bennington’s death, Linkin Park cancelled the rest of their One More Light World Tour 

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After Bennington’s death, Linkin Park cancelled the rest of their One More Light World Tour and refunded tickets. The One More Light World Tour was the ninth headlining, eleventh overall concert tour by American rock band Linkin Park. The tour supported their seventh studio album, One More Light (2017). 

Beginning in May 2017, the tour visited 21 cities in South America and Europe. Following the death of lead vocalist and frontman Chester Bennington on July 20, 2017, the North American leg and the rest of the tour were cancelled the following day, followed by the final leg of the tour in Japan on October 3, 2017.

29. Bennington filmed an episode of Carpool Karaoke: The Series six days before his death

Carpool Karaoke: The Series is an American streaming television series that premiered on Apple Music on August 9, 2017. Based on the recurring segment, Carpool Karaoke, from The Late Late Show with James Corden, the series pairs various celebrities with each other as they drive around together and sing along to popular music.  Bennington’s family allowed the episode to be aired on October 12, 2017.

30. Jared Leto received media attention for his tribute to Bennington and Chris Cornell

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On August 27, during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, Jared Leto received media attention for his tribute to Bennington and Chris Cornell.

Some of his former bandmates from Dead by Sunrise and Grey Daze united to perform a tribute to Bennington during a concert on September 2 in Las Vegas.

31. Linkin Park also hosted a public tribute to Bennington

Linkin Park also hosted a public tribute for Bennington in Los Angeles on October 27, titled Linkin Park and Friends: Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington. 

The event featured the band’s first performance following his death, along with performances from Blink-182, members of System of a Down, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me the Horizon, Sum 41, Yellowcard, and the singer Kiiara, among others.

32. Jay-Z paid tribute to Bennington on several occasions 

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Rapper Jay-Z paid tribute to Bennington on several occasions by performing Numb/Encore live. Jay-Z and Bennington, with Linkin Park collaborated on the song. Coldplay’s Chris Martin paid tribute to Bennington during the band’s North American tour concert at MetLife Stadium, playing an acoustic version of “Crawling” on piano.

Several other artists, including Muse, Ryan Key lead vocalist and guitarist of Yellowcard, Machine Gun Kelly, Imagine Dragons, Billy Talent and Godsmack, also either covered Linkin Park songs, usually Crawling or played their own songs during concerts as tribute to Bennington in the days and months following his death.

33. Bennington鈥檚 death raised awareness of death by suicide

During the 60th Annual Grammy Awards annual in memoriam tribute, rapper Logic performed the song 1-800-273-8255 live alongside Alessia Cara and Khalid as a tribute to both Cornell and Bennington. The song’s title is the phone number of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Following Bennington’s death, singer Fred Durst said that Bennington had a way of making anyone he spoke to feel heard, understood and significant. His aura and spirit were contagious and empowering. Often those types of people have so much pain and torture inside that the last thing they want is to contaminate or break the spirit of others… As real and transparent as our conversations would be, he was always the one projecting light on the shadows.

34. Producer Markus Schulz remixed the Linkin Park song In the End as a tribute to Bennington 

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Producer Markus Schulz made a trance remix of the Linkin Park song In the End as a tribute to Bennington after his death which he debuted at Tomorrowland.

In the End is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the eighth track on their debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000), and was released as the album’s fourth and final single.

35. Bennington and other late musicians were honoured in the music video for Hold on to Memories by Disturbed

Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, formed in 1994. The band includes guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, lead vocalist David Draiman and bassist John Moyer. Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Draiman replacing original lead vocalist Erich Awalt in 1996 and Moyer replacing original bassist Steve Kmak in 2004.

36. Linkin Park entered a hiatus following Bennington’s death

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Linkin Park has remained on hiatus since Bennington’s death. On January 28, 2018, Shinoda replied to a tweet from a fan inquiring about his future with Linkin Park, writing “I have every intention on continuing with LP, and the guys feel the same. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, and questions to answer, so it’ll take time.” On March 29, however, Shinoda stated that he was uncertain of Linkin Park’s future when being interviewed by Vulture. On April 17, Linkin Park was nominated for three awards at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards but did not win any of them.

On April 28, 2020, bassist Dave Farrell revealed the band is working on new music.  On August 13, the band released She Couldn’t, a track that was originally recorded in 1999, and it was included on a 20th-anniversary edition of their debut album Hybrid Theory, released on October 9. On January 8, 2021, Linkin Park released a remix of One Step Closer by American electronic duo 100 Gecs. The band revealed it was the first of many new remixes inspired by Reanimation to come. On October 29, when asked about the band playing live shows again, Shinoda stated that Now is not the time for the band’s return.  We don’t have the focus on it. We don’t have the math worked out. And I don’t mean that by financial math, I mean that like emotional and creative math. In April 2022, Shinoda reiterated that the band was not working on a new album, new music, or touring.

37. Chester played a significant role in popularizing nu-metal in the early 2000s

 Writing for Billboard, Dan Weiss stated that Bennington turned nu-metal universal, as he was an important conduit for his far-ranging audience. Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, stated that if it were not for Bennington’s voice and his words, nu-metal would never have reached the masses and affected so many lives.

While describing the success of Bennington and Linkin Park, AllMusic’s Andrew Leahey said, Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the 2000s by welcoming elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica into their music, focusing as much on the vocal interplay between singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda.

38. Several publications have commented on the musical legacy Bennington left behind

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The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica commented that Bennington’s ability to pair serrated rawness with sleek melody separated him from other contemporary singers, and also from the artists he was influenced by. Caramanica noted, He was an emo sympathizer in a time when heavy metal was still setting the agenda for mainstream hard rock and a hip-hop enthusiast who found ways to make hip-hop-informed music that benefited from his very un-hip-hop skill set. 

As Bennington acquired influences from industrial and hardcore punk acts, the journalist believed this was the factor that made Linkin Park survive the rise and precipitous fall of the rap-rock era, calling the musician a rock music polymath. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times argued, Perhaps more than Linkin Park’s influential sound, Bennington’s real artistic legacy will be the message he put across 鈥� the reassurance he offered from the dark.

39. BBC’s Steve Holden called Bennington the voice of a generation

Holden stated that Chester鈥檚 voice was arguably Linkin Park’s greatest asset. Jonathan McAloon of The Daily Telegraph commented Bennington’s death will have an impact on many millennials because his voice was the sound of their millennium. While talking about Linkin Park’s popularity, Corey Apar, of AllMusic, commented, “Bennington’s oft-tortured vocals became one of the most distinctive in the alternative rock scene”.

Writing for The Guardian, Ben Beaumont-Thomas noted, that Bennington’s decision to sing clearly and openly was, therefore, more radical than he is given credit for, and indeed more socially valuable. The journalist continued to discuss Bennington’s impact, commenting, his cleanly articulated tales of emotional struggle gave millions the sense that someone understood them, and the huge sound of his band around him magnified that sense, moving listeners from the psychic space of their bedrooms into an arena of thousands of people who shared their pain.

40. Bennington鈥檚 influence has been felt in the worlds of rock, metal and rap

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James Hingle echoed this sentiment, writing for Kerrang! he said that Bennington was one of the most honest vocalists out there when it came to his mental health. In the same topic, William Goodman from Billboard said Bennington and fellow musicians Chris Cornell and Scott Weiland helped define a generation of the hard rock sound, who were tied together artistically and personally.

The Straits Times’ music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi stated Bennington was an inspiration to many artists in the Singapore music scene. Calum Slingerland, editor of the Canadian periodical Exclaim!, expressed, his influence has been felt in the worlds of rock, metal, rap, and beyond.

41. After his death, Chester鈥檚 wife started a campaign in his honour

After Bennington’s death, his widow Talinda Bennington launched a campaign called 320 Changes Direction in honor of her husband to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness.

42. Linkin Park members revealed that they had recorded an unreleased song featuring Bennington

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In 2020, during a Twitch livestream, Mike Shinoda confirmed the existence of an unreleased Linkin Park song, titled Friendly Fire, which features vocal tracks Bennington recorded during the One More Light sessions. At the time of his death, Bennington just finished a collaboration with Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton for Morton’s solo album Anesthetic entitled Cross Off; Morton later said in interviews that Bennington was very, very excited about the idea of screaming and doing something heavier than what he’s been doing lately. The music video for Cross Off later featured an empty microphone as a tribute to Bennington.

43. Chester鈥檚 electrifying stage presence contributed significantly to Linkin Park’s live performances

One of Bennington’s final performances with Linkin Park on July 4, 2017, at the O2 Brixton Academy in London. Linkin Park has remained on hiatus since Bennington’s death. During an Instagram live chat on December 17, 2017, Shinoda was asked whether Linkin Park would perform with a hologram version of Bennington in the future. He replied, “Can we not do a holographic Chester? I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of a holographic Chester. I’ve actually heard other people outside the band suggest that, and there’s absolutely no way.鈥�

44. Chester contributed significantly to Linkin Park’s songwriting process

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Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to Hybrid Theory based on some early material. Shinoda characterized the lyrics as interpretations of universal feelings, emotions, and experiences, and as “everyday emotions you talk about and think about.”

Bennington later described the songwriting experience to Rolling Stone magazine in early 2002, 鈥淚t’s easy to fall into that thing, poor, poor me, that’s where songs like Crawling come from: I can’t take myself. But that song is about taking responsibility for your actions. I don’t say you at any point. It’s about how I’m the reason that I feel this way. There’s something inside me that pulls me down.”

45. Chester often channelled his personal struggles into his lyrics

In his early life, to comfort himself from the sexual abuse he underwent, Bennington drew pictures and wrote poetry and songs. As a member of Linkin Park, s. Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to Hybrid Theory based on some early material.

Bennington primarily served as Linkin Park’s lead vocalist, but he occasionally shared the role with Shinoda. All Music Guide described Bennington’s vocals as higher-pitched and emotional, in contrast to Shinoda’s hip-hop-style delivery. Both members also worked together to write lyrics for the band’s songs.

46. Chester drew inspiration from various artistic forms, including literature and visual arts

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In his songwriting and live performances for various bands, stated that he drew inspiration from various artistic forms, including literature and visual arts. The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica commented that Bennington’s ability to pair serrated rawness with sleek melody separated him from other contemporary singers, and also from the artists he was influenced by. 

Caramanica noted that he was an emo sympathizer in a time when heavy metal was still setting the agenda for mainstream hard rock and a hip-hop enthusiast who found ways to make hip-hop-informed music that benefited from his very un-hip-hop skill set.

47. Chester occasionally played other instruments, contributing to the band’s musical arrangements

While he was the band鈥檚 lead vocalist,  Chester occasionally played other instruments, contributing to the band’s musical arrangements. This was especially noted in Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party album. The album returned to a more rock-centric sound, emphasizing guitar-driven tracks.

48. Despite his stage presence, Chester was reportedly shy in social situations

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He was reportedly very shy when in any public setting which was ironic to him being such a great performer for big crowds during his live performances with his band Linkin Park.

49. Fans worldwide shared how Chester’s music helped them cope with mental health challenges

Chester openly discussed his struggles with depression which resonated with many of his fans worldwide. On August 22, Linkin Park announced plans to host a tribute concert in Los Angeles to honour Bennington. The band thanked fans for their support, stating, “The five of us are so grateful for all of your support as we heal and build the future of Linkin Park”. 

The band later confirmed that the concert, titled Linkin Park and Friends: Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington, would take place on October 27 at the Hollywood Bowl. The event included Linkin Park’s first performance following Bennington’s death. The event featured multiple guests performing Linkin Park songs along with the band. The event was over three hours long and was streamed live via YouTube. It has been streamed 22.7 million times as of September 2022. 

50. Linkin Park received an American Music award which they dedicated to Bennington

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In November 2017, the band announced that a live album compiled from their final tour with Bennington, titled One More Light Live, would be released on December 15. On November 19, Linkin Park received an American Music Award for Favorite Alternative Artist and dedicated the award to Bennington.

Despite his struggles, Bennington was a gifted artist who left a lasting impact on the music industry and his fans around the world. Bennington’s legacy lives on through his music, which continues to inspire and touch people around the world. He was a true artist who will never be forgotten. His struggles also raise awareness of the urgency that everyone should speak up and get help whenever facing any mental health issues as such help is just an ask away.  In case anyone reaches out for help about their mental health issues, feel free to seek for support on many resources that have been availed online for this purpose. Let us be our brothers and sisters keepers.