Chester Bennington was an American singer born in Phoenix, Arizona on March 20, 1976. He started his career in the band he formed with his friend, Sean Dowdell, and others. After that, he started another band called Grey Daze. Then he became the lead singer of his most famous band, Linkin Park.
Only 3 years ago, on July 20 of 2017, Bennington hanged himself and was pronounced dead when he was found. The death of this talented musician is the result of not addressing the three major issues of his life: depression, the loss of loved ones, and drug use.
Depression is not a problem to be overlooked. Bennington suffered mental health issues, including depression. He had previously said, “This place right here, this skull between my ears, that is a bad neighborhood, and I should not be in there alone.”
Bennington’s depression was caused by many things, like the loss of close family and friends and he said the world was just bad. At some point, he told his therapist that he didn’t want to feel and that he envied sociopaths, because they don’t ever have to feel anything: not guilt, hate or remorse towards anything or anyone.
Bennington had people dear to him leave this world. His stepfather died and he found that it was something he had to go through on his own. Bennington felt the same but worse when he found out that his best friend, Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell, took his own life in 2017. He wrote a letter thanking Cornell for his inspiration and that he hoped he’d find peace in the “next life”.
Bennington had an alcohol addiction starting from a young age and that slowly led to drugs. He was dealing with depression and low confidence. He said that when he was ever on something, his confidence went up and he felt as if he could do what he wanted. He also said that when he was ever doing something, he was on something.
These issues are what caused him to feel bad about himself and lower his confidence. Because of his addiction to drugs, his depression, and the loss of many people and his life, Bennington made the terrible decision to take his own life.
Bennington knew what he was doing, but he forgot who and what he was going to lose. However, it did not have to end this way for him. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, any time, 24/7, at 800-273-8255. What happened to Chester Bennington does not need to happen again.
