- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has died, Brian Elias of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 41.
The coroner’s office said it had been on the scene at the singer’s home in Palos Verdes Estates investigating a suicide. On Friday, Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner’s office, said Bennington hanged himself. An autopsy is pending. No timeframe was given for report results.
Neither the coroner nor Los Angeles County Fire Department could confirm reports the death was due to hanging.
Law enforcement received a call around 9 a.m. reporting the death, Elias said. Palos Verdes police said it was unclear if the department was going to release a statement on the matter.
Linkin Park bandmember Mike Shinoda wrote on Twitter: “Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”
Bennington, a Phoenix native, was open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, which occurred at various times during his life.
The band had just released its seventh studio album, One More Light, and was set to embark on an extensive North American tour this summer and in the fall.
The group was one of the most popular rock bands to emerge in the early 2000s. Their debut album Hybrid Theory has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. since its release in 2000, per Nielsen SoundScan.
The band won Grammy awards in 2001 for best hard rock performance for “Crawling” and again in 2005 for best rap/sung collaboration for “Numb/Encore.”
On May 26, Bennington sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the Los Angeles memorial service of Soundgarden rocker Chris Cornell, who had died by suicide. Days earlier, in a note posted online, Bennington wrote a tribute to his friend Cornell saying: “I can’t imagine a world without you in it. I pray you find peace in the next life.”
“The Cornell family is overwhelmed by the heartbreaking news about Chester Bennington which tragically comes so soon after their family’s own loss,” a Cornell family spokesperson told the Associated Press. “They open up their loving arms to Chester’s family and share in the sorrow with all those who loved him.
Bennington is survived by his wife, Talinda Ann Bentley, and six children.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day