Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017)[1] was an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and actor. He was the lead singer for Linkin Park.
Chester Bennington | |
|---|---|
 Bennington in 2014 | |
| Born | Chester Charles Bennington March 20, 1976 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | July 20, 2017 (aged 41) |
| Cause of death | suicide by hanging |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1992–2017 |
| Spouse(s) | Samantha Olit (m. 1996; div. 2005) Talinda Bentley (m. 2006) |
| Children | 6 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Associated acts | |
| Signature | |
 | |
Biography
Early years
Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. He was interested in music since he was young and he liked mostly Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. His parents separated in the late 1980s, and was raised by his father. Later he had problems with drugs.
Professional music career
At the beginning he was a vocalist in a grunge band called Grey Daze. He left Grey Daze in 1998. After that, the vice president of A&R at Zomba Music in Los Angeles, offered Bennington an audition with Linkin Park. Bennington went to California and joined the band. Their name was “Hybrid Theory” back then. The other vocalist was Mike Shinoda. After some rejections, Jeff Blue operated to help the band sign with Warner Bros. Records.
In spite of the success in the early 2000s, Bennington has had personal problems outside of the public interest.
Personal life
Bennington had a son in 1996 by Elka Brand and in 2006 adopted her other son who was born in 1997. In 1996 Bennington married Samantha Marie Olit. Their child was born in 2002. The couple divorced in 2005. In 2006, Bennington married Talinda Bentley, a former Playboy model. He had three children with Bentley, a son born in 2006, and twin daughters born in 2011.
Death
Bennington died by suicide by hanging himself on July 20, 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California at the age of 41, the day on what would have been his close friend, Chris Cornell's 53rd birthday who also died by suicide a few months earlier.[2][3][4][5]
Discography
With Grey Daze
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | AUT | GER | SWI | UK | UK Rock |
US | |||||||
| Wake Me |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| ...No Sun Today |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| Amends |
|
30 | 29 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 1 | 75 | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Main. [6] |
US Rock [7] |
US Rock Air. [8] | |||
| "What's In the Eye?" | 2020 | — | — | — | Amends |
| "Sickness" | 2 | 35 | 11 | ||
| "Sometimes" | — | — | — | ||
| "Soul Song" | — | 40 | — | ||
| "B12" | 29 | — | — | ||
Music videos
- "What's In the Eye" (2020)
- "Sickness" (2020)
- "Soul Song" (2020)
- "B12" (2020)
- "In Time" (2020)
- "Shouting Out" (2020)
With Linkin Park
- Hybrid Theory (2000)
- Meteora (2003)
- Minutes to Midnight (2007)
- A Thousand Suns (2010)
- Living Things (2012)
- The Hunting Party (2014)
- One More Light (2017)
With Dead by Sunrise
- Out of Ashes (2009)
With Stone Temple Pilots
- High Rise (2013)
Album contributions and singles
| Year | Artist | Song | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | DJ Lethal | "Cry To Yourself" (also known as "State of the Art") | N/A - originally intended for DJ Lethal's unreleased album "State of the Art" |
| 2002 | Stone Temple Pilots | "Wonderful (Live)" | The Family Values 2001 Tour |
| 2002 | Chester Bennington | "System" | Queen of the Damned soundtrack |
| Cyclefly | "Karma Killer" | Crave | |
| 2004 | Handsome Boy Modeling School featuring DJ Q-bert, Grand Wizard Theodore, Jazzy Jay, Lord Finesse, Mike Shinoda, Rahzel & Chester Bennington / Tim Meadows | "Rock N' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) (Part 2) / Knockers" | White People |
| 2005 | Z-Trip | "Walking Dead" | Shifting Gears |
| Mötley Crüe | "Home Sweet Home" (remake) | Non-album charity single | |
| 2006 | Chester Bennington | "Morning After (Julien-K Remix)" | Underworld: Evolution (soundtrack) |
| Mindless Self Indulgence | "What Do They Know? (Mindless Self Indulgence Vs. Julien-K & Chester Bennington Remix)" | Another Mindless Rip Off | |
| 2007 | Young Buck | "Slow Ya Roll" | Buck the World |
| 2008/2010 | Chris Cornell | "Hunger Strike (Live at Projekt Revolution 2008)" | Songs from the Underground |
| 2010 | Santana featuring Chester Bennington & Ray Manzarek | "Riders on the Storm" (The Doors cover) | Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time |
| 2019 | Mark Morton featuring Chester Bennington | "Cross Off" | Anesthetic[9][10] |
Chester Bennington Media
Bennington performing in 1994
Bennington performing with Linkin Park at the 2009 Sonisphere Festival
Bennington performing with Dead by Sunrise in 2009
Bennington performing on July 4, 2017, sixteen days before his death
Bennington performing at Rock im Park in 2014
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References
- ↑ "Chester Bennington dead: Linkin Park singer 'dies aged 41'". Independent. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ Grow, Cory. "Chester Bennington, Linkin Park Singer, Dead at 41". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/chester-bennington-linkin-park-singer-dead-at-41-w493387. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Linkin Park's Chester Bennington dies" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2017-07-20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40676530. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ↑ "Linkin Park's Chester Bennington Committed Suicide: Report". Billboard. 20 July 2017. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7873783/linkin-park-chester-bennington-suicide. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Why mental health advocates use the words 'died by suicide'". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ↑ "Mainstream Rock Charts: Week of May 23, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Hot Rock Songs Chart: Week of May 23, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Rock Airplay: Week of May 30, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ↑ Kaufman, Spencer. "Lamb of God's Mark Morton to release album featuring Chester Bennington, Randy Blythe, Myles Kennedy, and more". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- ↑ brownypaul (2018-12-18). "Lamb of God's Mark Morton announces solo collaborative album 'Anesthetic' featuring a STACK OF GUESTS!!!". Wall Of Sound. Retrieved 2019-01-08.