The Linkin Park vocalist passed away on July 20, 2017, the birthday of his late friend Chris Cornell.
Saturday, July 20, marked two years since we lost Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington to suicide. He was 41.
His family paid tribute to the late singer on social media. His mother, Susan Eubanks, posted a photo of the two at a party on Twitter. “The last kiss I ever got from my wonderful boy! There are no words to explain how much I miss him! I want us all to celebrate his life today!” she wrote.
Bennington’s widow, Talinda, posted a video to Instagram Saturday, acknowledging the people who reached out to her on the anniversary of Chester’s passing. “I woke up this morning to lots of messages of love and support from my friends and family, and I wanted to pass along to you the same love and support,” she said.
“Today is going to be a really hard day for a lot of people, and that may be you, and I just want you to know that you’re loved, you matter, and the world means something with you in it. And today let’s make Chester proud, and take care of each other, because that’s what he would want us to do.”
Linkin Park also paid tribute to their former vocalist. “Remembering Chester today,” they said beneath a candid photo of Chester with the band that was posted on Instagram.
Chris Cornell’s Birthday
Saturday also marked the birthday of Chris Cornell, the vocalist of Soundgarden and Audioslave, who also died by suicide in May of 2017 at the age of 52.
Cornell’s widow, Vicky, posted a photo of the singer with their two children. His eldest daughter, Lillian, was not pictured. “Forever missed, forever loved,” she wrote in the caption.
The rockers’ deaths, happening within months of each other, shocked the world over. While both had a history of problematic substance use and depression, their deaths still felt painfully premature.
In the wake of her husband’s passing, Talinda Bennington launched the 320 Changes Direction initiative to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.
“For 13 years I watched my husband Chester struggle with depression and substance use,” she wrote on the initiative’s website. “I often felt scared and alone. I was uneducated about the challenges he faced and I wanted information—but finding answers to my questions and available help for our family was very difficult. After my husband lost his battle with depression and addiction, I knew I had to make a change to the mental health landscape.”
