According to a report from TMZ, Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington has committed suicide by hanging.
An employee found Bennington’s body around 9 a.m. in a private residence in Palos Verdes Estates, located in Los Angeles Country, on Thursday.
Law enforcement is investigating the death as an apparent suicide but has provided no additional details yet.
Bennington, 41, was a father of six children from two marriages.
For many years he struggled with drug and alcohol addictions, as well as trauma from the sexual abuse he experienced as a child. In a past interview, he stated that he had considered committing suicide because of this abuse by an older male.
The acclaimed musician was also very close to Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, who in May also committed suicide by hanging.
Cornell’s toxicology tests showed that he had barbiturates, caffeine, and lorazepam, also known as Ativan, for relief of anxiety in his system when he died. The report also listed naloxone, an anti-opioid drug, and a decongestant.
However, according to the assistant Wayne County medical examiner, the drugs did not play a factor in his death.
On the day of Cornell’s suicide, Bennington posted an open letter to his friend on Twitter and Instagram. In May, he also performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at Cornell’s memorial.
The two friends toured together in 2007 and 2008. Cornell was also featured in Linkin Park’s 2000 hit “Crawling,” and Bennington later joined Cornell for a version of Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike.”
Bennington was also reportedly the godfather of one of Cornell’s three children.
July 20, the date of Bennington’s death, would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.
Following the news of Bennington’s death, Cornell’s wife, Vicky, tweeted “Just when I thought my heart couldn’t break any more … I love you T,” referencing Bennington’s wife Talinda Ann Bentley.
Linkin Park rose to international fame in 2000 when it released its debut album Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-Platinum in several other countries.
Throughout the years, the band has had released hit songs, including “In the End” and “Crawling.” It also has crossed music genres, collaborating with rapper Jay-Z, singer Kiiara, and several other acclaimed artists.
Its album “Meteora,” released in 2003, was one of the biggest alternative albums in music history.
Linkin Park released One More Light, its seventh studio album, this past May. Its music video for “Talking To Myself” was posted on the band’s Twitter page and YouTube channel on Thursday morning, just minutes after Bennington’s body was discovered.
