A year ago, on July 20, former Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington unexpectedly ended his short and legendary life by suicide.
In the last tweet, we walked into the last moments of the legendary lead singer's life, and we can also experience the pain and struggle of his last moments in life.
But in the end, what "killed" Chester?
Text: Yang Zixuan
Editor: Jimbo
Ryan Shackle (who played guitar in Benington's offshoot band Dead by Sunrise) believes Bennington "drank a few drinks" before committing suicide.
"I don't know how much he drank, but when you're an alcoholic and addict, it's not a big deal to drink a little. Especially when he was going through such a painful battle, it was conceivable that anyone could temporarily lose their sanity for a minute. ”
People tend to speculate that Bennington's death is directly related to the suicide of Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden, and there are similarities between the two: both committed suicide by hanging, and That Bennington died on the day corneal was Connell's 53-year-old birthday. But Ryan Shaq thinks that's not the case, he thinks it's just a coincidence.
"It may be part of the reason, but only a small part," Ryan Shaq said, "it's just another demon in his subconscious, it may be a fuse, but the fire is actually burning." ”
Early Bennington
Bennington's tragedy began in his nightmarish childhood. He was born on March 20, 1976, in a Phoenix-based family, the youngest of four children, a nurse from a mother and a nurse from a father, Lee, a police officer who investigates child sex crimes.
Bennington was just 11 years old when his parents divorced, and because he felt abandoned by his mother, Bennington chose to live with his father, but later recalled that his father was "very emotionally unstable" at the time.
During Bennington's journey from the ages of seven or eight to thirteen, he was sexually abused by a male friend who was a little older than him. He once said: "He beat me and forced me to do things I didn't want to do. This incident destroyed my self-confidence. ”
These experiences led Bennington to find solace in the world of drugs and alcohol, and as a teenager, Bennington had already tried opium, amphetamines, marijuana and cocaine. "I drank a lot of alcohol, sometimes so drunk that I pulled my pants." He used to say that.
Bennington claimed to have abused drugs for the first time in 1992, and when he was snorting with his friends, a local gang broke in, beat them up and robbed them.
These experiences eventually appeared in the songs of Lincoln Park. He stripped himself of a soul-like roar mixed with McShinda's rap, and the band's heavy riff, songs that dominated the entire pop scene in the 2000s.
"His voice is so unique, fragile and fierce," said Jared Leto, lead singer of 30 Seconds To Mars, who met Bennington in the 2000s, when they were both regulars on the festival stage, most recently in 2014 when the two bands toured together.
Lincoln Park Band
"It's like an angel and a demon sitting on one of his shoulders, and when he's singing, you can feel the fierce confrontation between the two, and I think the reason so many people love his music is that he has some sort of balance between the two."
Bennington's songs, some of which were written with McShintian, became a common solace for young people struggling with the same emotions and problems. "For example, 'Crawling,' which is probably the most lyrical of the songs I've written for The Linkin Park," Bennington said of the song from his debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. ”
People who know Bennington say he never let his inner battles define his personality. He can give you a Secondary two joke in a minute (he's a big fan of shit-piss jokes), and Ryan Shaq remembers Bennington laughing at a joke he told on stage about lung cancer.
Bennington sometimes encourages bands that warm up for Lincoln Park, "Next time we might warm up for you guys!" Matt Solem, a former drummer for the Band Guns, remembers how Bennington invited Solem's all-star cover band Kings of Chaos on a short tour before Christmas.
Sollum was so upset that Bennington's trip was delayed for 12 hours in Chicago, and it was almost Christmas time to keep the other person so far away from home, he said: "I was emailing these guys and saying, 'I'm sorry you ran so far.'" And Bennington's answer is very typical of his style 'anytime (for you), buddy. There was really no surprise. ”
On the family side, Bennington found comfort in his six children. He became a father for the first time at the age of 20 and married for the first time in 1996.
Bennington at the 2008 Children's Choice Awards ceremony
Although the marriage eventually went to divorce in turmoil, and the sign of collapse, Bennington recalled: "I was drunk, I couldn't even walk out of the house, I was derelict in my duties. I wanted to kill myself. ”
In 2005, Bennington married Talina, and together they had a son and twin daughters. Jared Leto remembers going to Bennington's house for dinner one night: "As soon as I entered his house, I saw a big family that was so lively and crowded, and I couldn't believe he had such a beautiful and thriving family, especially when he was so young. When we toured together, I couldn't imagine him having such a side. ”
Bennington with his second wife
"For his six children, he has endless sweet stories, and every time he mentions them, he always carries a big smile. No matter how bad his birth was, he repaid his children with unparalleled love. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top said he once toured with King of Chaos with Bennington.
"His tattoo shop business was another highlight of his life, and he once asked me to design silver jewelry for his Las Vegas store, and we talked about it. He is really a very attractive soul. ”
Bennington's death caused an uproar among his music fans, and when the news of his suicide spread, people were shocked. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline said it saw a 14 percent increase in hotline calls the day after news of Bennington's suicide.
Lincoln Park at the concert
Ten days after Bennington's death, his home is still surrounded by a six-inch fence, a police car is out to maintain order, and countless music fans have left flowers, pictures, signs, guitar paddles and crosses next to his home.
Brianna, 19, said: "When I heard the news, I was still in the museum, but I couldn't help but cry loudly. It felt as if part of my childhood had disappeared, and a little girl in my heart told me I had to come over and offer him my condolences... I've always relied on them. ”
Outside Bennington's house, there was a small note that read: "Dear Chester Bennington, we are all sad, you saved so many of our lives, but we failed to save you..."
“Dear Chester Bennington, It hurts all of us to know that you saved so many lives, yet we couldn't save you. . . ”