Burak Cingi/RedfernsLinkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has died, ABC News has confirmed. The musician was found dead in his Los Angeles home Thursday morning and his death is being investigated as a suicide; he was found hanging. He was 41.
LP’s Mike Shinoda tweeted, “Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”
Bennington joined Linkin Park in 1999. A year later, the band released their debut album Hybrid Theory, which became a massive commercial success, and helped launch the rap-metal scene of the early 2000s. Hybrid Theory has since been certified diamond for 10 million copies sold.
In 2004, Linkin Park recorded a collaborative EP with rapper JAY-Z, which spawned the hit mash-up “Numb/Encore.”
After Hybrid Theory and its follow-up, 2003’s Meteora, Linkin Park began to move away from their initial rap-rock sound. Their seventh and most recent album, One More Light, which was released this past May, took a more pop-oriented approach. The band is scheduled to kick off a tour in support of the album on July 27 in Boston.
In between his work with Linkin Park, Bennington also fronted Stone Temple Pilots between 2013 and 2015.
Bennington had struggled with drug addiction throughout his life. He appeared very affected by the death of Chris Cornell, who committed suicide by hanging in May. Thursday, perhaps not coincidentally, would’ve been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.
At Cornell’s funeral service, Bennington sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The night of Cornell’s death, Linkin Park performed the One More Light title track in honor of the late Soundgarden frontman.
In May, Linkin Park performed on a New York City subway for an Good Morning America segment on ABC. They were scheduled to play GMA‘s concert series in Central Park on August 4.
Bennington is survived by his wife, and six children.
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