Linkin Park, STP Singer Chester Bennington, Dead

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A photo that Bennington tweeted on July 4, 2017 with the caption “Me and my peeps”

Chester Bennington, best known as the lead vocalist for several rock bands including Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots, died July 20, 2017. Bennington‘s body was discovered this morning at his Southern California home. His death at 41 was ruled a suicide.

His death took place on what would have been Chris Cornell’s birthday. The Soundgarden frontman had died on May 17 and would have turned 53 today; he and Bennington were close friends. Bennington reportedly battled drug and alcohol addiction at various times.

Bennington had penned a tribute to Cornell on May 18 which said, in part, “I’m still weeping, with sadness, as well as gratitude for having shared some very special moments with you and your beautiful family. You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known.”

Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda acknowledged his shock and grief at his bandmate’s passing…

Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) July 20, 2017

Bennington, born Chester Charles Bennington on March 20, 1976, in Phoenix, Ariz., was the lead vocalist on Linkin Park’s hugely successful debut album, Hybrid Theory, released in 2000. The album peaked at #2 in the U.S., where it has sold a phenomenal 11 million copies; it was awarded diamond certification by the RIAA in 2005 and was named the best-selling debut album of the decade to that point. The record’s fourth single, “In the End,” turned out to be the biggest of their career, reaching #2 on the Hot 100. The band’s 2003 album Meteora became their first #1 album. 2004’s Collision Course and 2007’s Minutes to Midnight also hit the top spot.

The “In the End” video has an astonishing 330 million views on YouTube

When Scott Weiland left Stone Temple Pilots in 2013, Bennington replaced him as lead singer. All the while, Bennington found time to participate with both bands. He appears on Linkin Park’s May 2017 release, One More Light.

Coincidentally, Linkin Park released a video today for that album’s “Talking to Myself,” though Bennington doesn’t sing lead on it.

One day before his death, Bennington was active on Twitter, RT’ing about a subject dear to us all…

Enough plastic trash created since 1950 to cover all of Manhattan two miles deep in plastic; nearly 7 billion tons; https://t.co/MwCOdy8b5b pic.twitter.com/uHJa5GgR6R

— seth borenstein (@borenbears) July 19, 2017