On the day of Chris Cornell’s suicide, two months ago, Linkin Park front man Chester Bennington wrote a grieving open letter to his deceased friend and sent it out into the ether.
Chester Bennington wrote of his sadness but also his gratitude for having ‘shared some special moments’ with Soundgarden’s Cornell, adding:
I can’t imagine a world without you in it.
Today, those words take on a heart-breaking poignancy in the aftermath of Bennington’s own suicide, which is mourned not only by his family and friends, but by a legion of Linkin Park fans too.
Law enforcement sources yesterday confirmed Bennington, aged just 41, had died by suicide at his private residence in Palos Verdes Estates in L.A County.
His body was found before 9am on Thursday morning on what would’ve been Cornell’s 53rd birthday – a tragedy echoing that of his friend’s untimely death.
Cornell, of Audioslave and Soundgarden, took his own life after playing a gig at Detroit’s Fox Theatre two months ago.
Bennington was, of course, devastated by Cornell’s suicide, and took to Twitter to honour his friend, writing:
Your voice was joy and pain, anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped into one.
I suppose that’s what we all are.
You helped me understand that.
Bennington performed Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen‘s Hallelujah at the memorial service for the Soundgarden frontman.
The Californian nu-metal stalwart, who joined Linkin Park in 2009, had also just come off the UK leg of the band’s One More Light tour, after the release of their seventh studio album.
Many of his kind words in homage to Cornell in the open letter can be said of Chester too, who voiced the rise of nu-metal and independent creative thought for millions of kids.
Amid great musical acclaim, Bennington’s personal life was difficult, and the Californian struggled with drug and alcohol addiction as well as the emotional and psychological affects of childhood abuse at the hands of an older male.
You can read Bennington’s full open letter, as shared to Twitter, below:
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Chester, a hugely talented creative voice, who managed to echo the thoughts and feelings of a generation.
If any of these issues have affected you, please don’t suffer in silence. Call Samaritans on their free 24-hour hotline on 116 123.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.