Chester Bennington is the former Linkin Park singer who was widely regarded as one of the finest rock singers of his time. Sadly, Bennington was found dead at his California home on July 20, 2017. He also fronted other bands such as Dead by Sunrise, Gray Daze and Stone Temple Pilots until his death. Here’s his story.
Chester Bennington Bio
Bennington was born Chester Charles Bennington to Susan Elaine Johnson and Lee Russell Bennington on March 20, 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother worked as a nurse while his father was a police officer.
From an early age, Bennington took an interest in music. Although he was the victim of sexual abuse by an older male friend around the age of 7, he lived a normal childhood until his parents divorced when he was 11. Bennington found solace in writing songs and poetry after a while, but after a while he found himself again abusing alcohol and other illegal substances like cocaine, meth, and marijuana.
Around the age of 17, the aspiring musician left his father to live with his mother, who discovered he was a drug user and helped him overcome his addiction. During this time, Bennington joined a band called Sean Dowdell and His Friends before later forming a new band with Dowdell called Gray Daze. The group recorded and released three albums between 1993 and 1997 before Bennington moved on in 1998.
Because of his failure to find success, ChesterBennington considered giving up his music career before being invited to audition for a position in a group that turned out to be Linkin Park. The group eventually landed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records and released their debut album, Hybrid Through, in October 2000.
His capital
Chester Bennington left an estimated net worth of around $30 million, amassed during his twenty-plus year music career.
His debut album with Linkin Park, Hybrid, has sold over 11 million copies in the US alone, making him a multi-platinum recording artist. In general, Linkin Park has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has toured the world and sold out stadiums and arenas everywhere.
Bennington ‘s family, his wife and children
Chester Bennington has been married twice. The first time was Samantha Marie Olit on October 31, 1996. Their relationship grew in his early days as an artist and eventually ended in divorce in 2005. In 2006 he married former Playmate Talinda Ann Bentley.
Bennington has six children in total. His first child, Jamie, was born in May 1996 from a relationship with Elka Brand. His second child, Draven Sebastian, born April 2002, was married to his first wife. The next three children, Tyler Lee, born in March 2006 and twins Lilly and Lila, born in November 2011, were with his second wife.
In 2006, between his two marriages, Chester Bennington adopted Elka Brand’s son from another relationship named Isiah.
The cause of his death
Chester Bennington was found dead by his housekeeper on the morning of July 20, 2017, in what appeared to be a suicide. Authorities confirmed that his death was indeed suicide by listening to the coroner’s office toxicology report, which found traces of alcohol in his system.
It’s unclear what exactly fueled the talent, however, the day of his death was the birthday of one of his close friends, Chris Cornell, the lead singer of bands like Soundgarden and Audioslave. Chris took his own life while hanging two months earlier. Bennington notably sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” song at his friend’s funeral and was godfather to his son Christopher.
Chester Bennington’s funeral was held at the South Coast Botanic Garden, after which his remains were cremated.