Chester Bennington, the lead singer of US metal act Linkin Park, has sadly died at the age of just 41 from suicide.
His body was found at a private home in LA County at 9am local time on Thursday morning.
He was close to the Soundgarden and Audioslave singer Chris Cornell, who took his own life iearlier this year; it is another deeply sad event in the music world.
Bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed the news on Twitter – the band were on tour and were next scheduled to perform in Mansfield, Massachusetts next Thursday.
Linkin Park formed in 1996, selling more than 70m albums worldwide, and winning two Grammy Awards. Their first two albums, Hybrid Theory and Meteora, are widely considered classic records, each containing a string of hits.
After initially coming through as park of the nu-metal scene alongside the likes of Limp Bizkit, they soon forged their own musical space, remaining a huge act, moving away from their early sound to establish themselves as a heavyweight band.
Their seventh and most recent album, One More Light, came out in May earlier this year, and saw the band shifting away from their traditional rock sound, embracing other genres such as electropop. Shinoda explained that, "In terms of the style of the record, it's one of the most diverse stylistically, there's more genres mashed into this album than anything we've ever put out.”
He also fronted the legendary Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015, replacing Scott Weiland, who was fired in 2013, and then died after an accidental overdose, aged 48.
Bennington is said to have struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, and has previously spoken about suicidal thoughts as a result of abuse he suffered as a child.
He leaves a legacy as one of rock’s greatest-ever vocalists.
(Image: Rex)
