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    Tuesday, May 14, 2024

    Linkin Park releases statement about band member's death

    In this May 16, 2015 file photo, Chester Bennington, left, performs during the MMRBQ Music Festival 2015 at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J. Linkin Park said their hearts are broken following the death of Bennington, who died by hanging last week. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

    Linkin Park said their hearts are broken following the death of lead singer Chester Bennington, who died by hanging last week. 

    The rock band said Monday that the "shock waves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened."

    Bennington, who was 41, hanged himself from a bedroom door in his home near Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that the death was a suicide. A hired driver who was arriving at Bennington's home made the 911 call, saying a housekeeper found Bennington's body and alerted him. Loud sobbing can be heard in the background during the call.

    The band started its statement with, "Dear Chester."

    "You touched so many lives, maybe even more than you realized. In the past few days, we've seen an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world. Talinda and the family appreciate it, and want the world to know that you were the best husband, son, and father; the family willa never be whole without you," the statement said.

    Bennington was one of two lead vocalists for Linkin Park, which became one of the most commercially successful acts of the 2000s. They won countless awards, including Grammys, and their hits include "In the End," ''What I've Done" and "Numb."

    The group also includes Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, Joe Hahnand and Rob Bourdo. They said Bennington's "absence leaves a void that can never be filled — a boisterous, funny, ambitious, creative, kind, generous voice in the room is missing."

    "We're trying to remind ourselves that the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal. After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place. You fearlessly put them on display, and in doing so, brought us together and taught us to be more human. You had the biggest heart, and managed to wear it on your sleeve," the statement continued.

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