Celebs React To Chester Bennington's Death
Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington was found dead in his Los Angeles home from an apparent suicide by hanging on July 20, 2017, reported TMZ.
While he didn't reveal the cause of death, bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed the sad news. "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true," he told his Twitter followers. "An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."
The internet has been awash with grief over the vocalist's passing. Here's what some fellow celebs have had to say about it.
Billy Idol
British rocker Billy Idol rose to prominence in the 1970s with punk band Generation X and later carved out a successful solo career for himself, rising to international stardom with classic tracks "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell" and "Mony Mony." Bennington actually performed "White Wedding" with Idol and a host of other music legends at the Rock Grand Prix of Long Beach in February 2017.
"Shocked about the news of Chester Bennington's death," Idol tweeted, along with a photo of the two sharing the stage. "I have played shows with him recently. I will miss him and his great talent very much."
Rihanna
Artists from a variety of genres have praised Bennington's brilliance. Rihanna dubbed him a "vocal beast" in a heartfelt post that included a photo, 36 crying emojis, and the caption, "Literally the most impressive talent I've ever seen live!..." At the time of this writing, her post had already been liked more than a million times.
Joss Whedon
Filmmakers have been paying tribute to Bennington and his body of work, too. Hollywood helmer Joss Whedon (director of Marvel's Avengers movies) tweeted about his love for Linkin Park's fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, which received several nominations for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and included one of the band's biggest hits, "Waiting for the End." Whedon personally thanked Bennington for the LP, revealing that it helped him get through a "horribly dark" time in his life. "I'm indebted. Thank you and RIP Chester Bennington, wish you were here."
Dwayne Johnson
Professional wrestler turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has also come out to express sympathy for Bennington and those who knew him, sending "love, strength and light" to his family and kids.
The Linkin Park frontman left behind six children, and despite his personal history of alcoholism and his battle to overcome abuse as a child, Bennington appeared to be a devoted father. The musician tweeted about the pride he felt when his daughter graduated in May 2017 and gushed about how cute his kids are.
Johnson ended his tribute with the word "ohana," a Hawaiian term for extended family.
Lars Ulrich
Bennington was a huge fan of Metallica: "Just watched Metallica..... They f**king RULE!!!!" he tweeted in March 2013. Linkin Park got the chance to open for the rock greats at Summer Sonic 2013. The bands had already known each other for more than a decade at that point, having toured North America together in 2003. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was the first bandmember to go public with his grief, calling Bennington "gracious, kind and humble" in a tweet.
OneRepulic
Pop rock outfit OneRepublic might be at the other end of the music spectrum in terms of its style and sound, but that doesn't mean its members don't appreciate the work of Linkin Park. The group's official Twitter account addressed Bennington's death in the hours after the news broke.
The band tweeted that "suicide is the devil on earth walking among us," followed by, "If anyone out there thinks the world is better without you, you are so unspeakably wrong on every level. Get help please."
Hayley Williams
Paramore singer Hayley Williams, who received a pep talk from Bennington in her career's early days, attempted to make sense of the musician's passing. She tweeted, "artists are [people] compelled to bring beauty into a world that can be so dark. makes sense then that artists are always conscious of darkness...& maybe at times made more vulnerable by it? i don't know. life can be relentless. heart hurts for Chester's family/band/friends/fans."
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel has sat down with countless talented people over the years, but the late show host said Bennington was "one of the kindest men" he had ever had the pleasure of interviewing on his show. "My heart breaks for his family and friends," Kimmel tweeted. "He will be missed terribly."
It was on Kimmel's show that Bennington and his bandmates paid tribute to the late Chris Cornell, the singer of legendary Seattle band Soundgarden, who reportedly hanged himself in May 2017 in a hotel room. Bennington, who sang a heartbreaking rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at Cornell's funeral, dedicated his performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to his late friend.
Katy Perry
Pop star Katy Perry expressed her condolences on Twitter and urged others who may be suffering to seek help. "If you're suffering as well don't be ashamed to talk to someone about it," she said.
Justin Timberlake/Timbaland
Just hours after news broke about Bennington's death, Justin Timberlake expressed sympathy for the singer's loved ones on Twitter, calling the musician a "truly unique, humble frontman."
Timberlake's long-time collaborator, Timbaland, paid his own tribute to Bennington, whom he performed alongside at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards on a rendition of Linkin Park's "Bleed it Out."
FC Bayern Munich
Demonstrating just how far Bennington's influence stretched, the players of top soccer club FC Bayern Munich released a statement following his death: "Almost exactly two years [ago], in mid-July 2015, Linkin Park played in Shanghai. The Bayern München squad were also staying in the bustling Chinese financial center at the same time: two different but equally internationally successful groups who met as they were touring Asia." After the chance encounter, Bennington was spotted wearing the team's jersey.
According to the statement, Linkin Park watched the soccer team play, and the soccer team watched the band perform. A friendship formed and together, the two groups organized several charity projects and partnered to raise money for Music for Relief, a nonprofit organization. "As recently as May of this year, Bennington and [bassist David] Farrell sent a video message congratulating Bayern on their fifth successive Bundesliga title," the statement said. "Both wore Bayern kits."
Fred Durst
The day after Bennington's death, lLimp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst penned a heartfelt letter. Published by Variety, the letter reveals the singer's raw reaction to the loss of his friend and offers a glimpse into the kind of man Bennington was.
"I can say so many wonderful things about the Chester I knew. He 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," Durst wrote, adding, "He would go out of his way to make sure you knew he truly cares. As real and transparent as our conversations would be, he was always the one projecting light on the shadows."
Durst also discussed his last conversation with Bennington, saying they "told jokes as if there would always be a tomorrow for us to meet again." He concluded, "I want to hug him now and let him know that we all experience our own pain and deal with it our own ways. I know his torture is unique to him, but I would always be here to listen and help in any way I can. But I won't get that hug and that moment now, which makes me so sad."