Post: #1

Quote:Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died of an apparent suicide by hanging Thursday morning, according to The Associated Press. Police in Palos Verdes Estates, in Los Angeles County told TMZ that the singer's body had been discovered just before 9 a.m. The singer was 41. A representative confirmed the death to Rolling Stone.

Rock outfit, singer confront their worst selves in harrowing new clip
"Shortly after 9 a.m. this morning, we were notified by law enforcement of a death in Palos Verdes Estates," Brian Elias, chief of operations for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, tells Rolling Stone. "We responded to the scene and unfortunately confirmed that Mr. Chester Bennington was deceased at the scene."

Elias added that the coroner's department is currently conducting a death investigation, with more information set for release Thursday afternoon.

"Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true," Bennington's fellow Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda said on Twitter. "An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."

Bennington's many fans, peers and collaborators in music and entertainment offered their condolences and shared their memories of the singer on social media, including Rihanna, Hayley Williams of Paramore, Chance the Rapper, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ryan Adams, Pusha T and Jimmy Kimmel. Others, such as Thursday's Geoff Rickly and Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino, took the opportunity to speak out about the importance of addressing mental health issues as well.

Bennington's screamed and emotional vocals provided a gritty counterpoint to co-frontman Mike Shinoda's raps on the group's nu-metal hits like "In the End" and "One Step Closer." He sang the poppy melodies on the band's recent hit "Heavy," which featured singer Kiiara and reached Number Two on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart and Number 11 on the Top 40. In addition to working with Linkin Park, he also fronted Stone Temple Pilots between 2013 and 2015 and the side project Dead by Sunrise and supergroup Kings of Chaos.

Linkin Park were a breakout hit when they released their debut, Hybrid Theory, in 2000. Its blend of rap, metal and electronic music propelled it to Number Two on Billboard, and the RIAA has subsequently certified it diamond, signifying sales of more than 10 million copies. With the exception of 2014's The Hunting Party, which debuted at Number Three, each subsequent Linkin Park release would claim the Number One spot. Over the years, they've proven themselves to be a malleable act, focusing more on electronic music sometimes and harder rock at others, and even teaming with Jay-Z on the platinum-selling Collision Course EP in 2004 and Steve Aoki on the remix release A Light That Never Comes in 2014. Their most recent LP, One More Light, came out this past May. The band has won two Grammys.

Bennington was born March 20th, 1976 in Phoenix, the son of a police officer. He had a rough childhood and was molested and beaten up by an older friend beginning around age seven. "It destroyed my self-confidence," he told Metal Hammer. "Like most people, I was too afraid to say anything. I didn't want people to think I was gay or that I was lying. It was a horrible experience."

When he was 11, his parents divorced and he was forced to live with his father. He eventually discovered drugs, taking opium, amphetamines, marijuana and cocaine alongside alcohol. "I was on 11 hits of acid a day," he told the magazine in 2016. "I dropped so much acid I'm surprised I can still speak. I'd smoke a bunch of crack, do a bit of meth and just sit there and freak out. Then I'd smoke opium to come down. I weighed 110 pounds. My mom said I looked like I stepped out of Auschwitz. So I used pot to get off drugs. Every time I'd get a craving, I'd smoke my pot."

After a gang broke into a friend's house where he was getting high and pistol-whipped his friends, he ditched drugs in 1992, though addiction would creep back into his life later. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he auditioned for the band that would become Linkin Park.

The band had formed as Xero in Agoura Hills, California in 1996, the brainchild of Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, drummer Rob Bourdon and turntablist Joe Hahn. After Bennington, who had been fronting the Phoenix alt-rock band Grey Daze, replaced original vocalist Mark Wakefield, who'd left in 1998, Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory lineup was set.

Hybrid Theory came at the peak of the nu-metal explosion and quickly dominated the Billboard chart, thanks in part to heavy MTV airplay. The singles "One Step Closer," "Crawling" and "In the End" all charted high on the mainstream rock chart, and "In the End" also crossed over to the pop chart, reaching Number Two and becoming gold-certified. "Crawling" earned the band its first Grammy, for Best Hard Rock Performance.

...

Despite all of Linkin Park's album sales and Bennington's well-received with Dead by Sunrise and Stone Temple Pilots, he always tried to stay grounded. "The idea that success equals happiness pisses me off," he told Metal Hammer in 2016. "It's funny to think that just because you're successful you're now immune to the full range of the human experience. But we also realize that we're not kids any more, we're not youngsters with this teen angst and this feeling of 'why does the world piss me off?' and finding a way to express it. We have had a lot of success and there are a lot of great things going on for us, but there are things that really matter to us. When we talk about lyrical content we can't just go back to being that angry kid, we need to talk about something that makes sense to who we are today."

Bennington was married and had six children from two marriages.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/c...41-w493387

Pretty shocking news, especially so soon after Chris Cornell's own suicide.

Was never a huge fan, but I will always have a lot of memories attached to the songs from Meteora and Hybrid Theory given how absolutely massive they were while I was growing up.

Rest in peace.

Post: #2

He leaves behind six kids. I can't understand how a parent can do this, especially when the kids are still kids.

Post: #3

The thing I find most strange is the fact that Chester Bennington was friends with Chris Cornell who killed himself (supposedly) two months ago in the same manner (hanging) that Bennington chose to take his life today, July 20, which Is what would've been Cornell's 53rd birthday.

How much do you want to bet that like Prince and Cornell before him, Bennington's body will be cremated within a week -- so that no future medical examinations can take place on an exhumed body -- to negate the suicide ruling.

As I said in the Cornell thread, I'm seriously thinking of heading on over to the "Is Hollywood run like a Satanic cult thread?"

This has all gotten too fucking strange for me. Bennington tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it didn't even matter.

Post: #4

Alimony and child support had a hand in this. I'm calling it.

Post: #5

(07-20-2017 04:10 PM)LeoneVolpe Wrote:  The thing I find most strange is the fact that Chester Bennington was friends with Chris Cornell who killed himself (supposedly) two months ago in the same manner (hanging) that Bennington chose to take his life today, July 20, which Is what would've been Cornell's 53rd birthday.

How much do you want to bet that like Prince and Cornell before him, Bennington's body will be cremated within a week -- so that no future medical examinations can take place on an exhumed body -- to negate the suicide ruling.

As I said in the Cornell thread, I'm seriously thinking of heading on over to the "Is Hollywood run like a Satanic cult thread?"

This has all gotten too fucking strange for me. Bennington tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it didn't even matter.

I'm not one to take into account conspiracy theories, but I find it strange that an artist that so recently spoke out against the shittiness of modern music and fans died.

Post: #6

The higher you climb, the further you fall.

All real battles are fought upstairs.

It's a shame he's gone.

Post: #7

I love Linkin Park, there's this anger and pure gut at least in their first records. I feel bad for this because I've suffered terrible depression episodes, and I know what it feels like.

I knew he had a troubled mind, but I guess when you are too emotional, neither wealth, fame nor a playboy pussy really matters.

Post: #8

I am much devastated. I honestly cried a little which I am not embarrassed to admit.

I actually liked their more recent music. Not the their latest album but the ones before that. The hunting party, Minutes to midnight, living things.

One of the few bands that actually dared to experiment with their music.

Post: #9

(07-20-2017 04:05 PM)puckerman Wrote:  He leaves behind six kids. I can't understand how a parent can do this, especially when the kids are still kids.

It's out of pure selfishness.

Post: #10

Damnit, Alice in Chains can't seem to keep their lead singers alive. RIP

Post: #11

God damn, I remember picking up their CDs from my library after hearing 'Breaking the Habit' in some old Youtube Halo Montages. Burned the whole CD and bumped it when no one was around. Made me go hard on Xbox..RIP.

Post: #12

People who have never dealt with real depression won't understand how someone like him or Chris Cornell, or anyone, can kill themselves. I honestly never did either until the past year, which has been a miserable and tormenting year for me.

I'm 99% sure I'd never kill myself, but I can easily understand how someone can now. It's like you're trapped in solitary confinement and you can't escape, because you're trapped in your head. Terrible thoughts constantly bombard you in the worst possible way and you can't get away from them.

I see Joe Rogan, who I honestly never cared for that much, talking about how he doesn't understand depression or how Cornell could kill himself and how people should just exercise and they will feel great. It doesn't work that way, and if you've never truly been depressed, not just feeling blue, you can never really understand. When you have real depression, exercise won't make you feel much better. If you feel down and blue, exercise absolutely will make you feel great, and it does help with depression, but not nearly to the same extent as people think.

I even posted on here before about how I thought my cousin was a big pussy for being depressed and suicidal, and how he needed to hit the gym, get laid, and get the fuck over it. Now I understand him. Something has changed in me the past couple of years and it's really fucked me up. I never ever struggled with anxiety and depression in my life until recently, so it has been a big shock to me.

I wanted to write this just because I'm sure other people here are in the same situation. I think it's a fucking epidemic in the modern world, for a lot of reasons that I won't get into. But I know a few things (and a person or two) have been helping me, so I thought this would be a good place to share.

1. Get on a sleep schedule. This one is hard for me, but I'm slowly getting into more of a pattern of going to bed and waking up at set times, and not sleeping until 12-4PM like a lazy fuck. The earlier I can wake up, the better I feel. I am also more productive, which has been extremely hard for me. If I wake up and do something, ANYTHING, I feel better.

2. Use a lightbox. You guys all know the thread here, read it. It helps and feels good to sit under it in the morning. I put a big stupid fake smile on my face while I do it. Fake smiles actually make you feel better. Good posture also.

3. Eat healthy. High fat, moderate protein, low carb is the winner for me. It's hard to follow, but when I do, I feel so much better psychically and mentally. I have very fucked up digestion and stomach issues which contribute a great deal to my problems. I'm in the process of fixing this, but as of now, a high fat diet seems to really help. Oils, nuts, grass fed butter, etc. Also, eat ENOUGH CALORIES. For me personally, if I don't eat enough, I become a madman. My head goes crazy and I can't control where my mind wanders. Even eating crap food like a PB&J with a glass of milk usually takes off the edge. Try not to eat crap food, but for me, crap food is better than no food. Fucking Taco Bell $5 big box gets me all of the time lol.

4. Exercise. Yes, I know what I wrote above about Rogan, but it does help. Just not in the way it helps when you're just feeling bummed out. I don't leave the gym feeling like a gladiator anymore, but lifting regularly helps. Sometimes when I feel like shit I'll force myself to put on gym clothes and say "I'm just going to go hit 5 sets of 10 reps of rows, and if I want to, I'll leave." The thing is I have NEVER actually left, and often times end up staying 1.5 hours and crushing back and having a great workout. Pick your favorite and easiest compound exercise and just go do it, even if it isn't much. Working out during the day is better for me too. I get outside, lift, and don't spend so much time zoned out at the computer.

5. GET OUTSIDE. This is a big one. I work online, and it is fucking miserable to stare off into a screen all day. Get outside and walk. Keep your head up high, shoulders back, and walk like you're the fucking man. After 30-60 minutes I feel much, much better. It also is a great time to think on ways to FIX your problems, instead of laying in bed dwelling on them and feeling down. This is when I have my best ideas and feel the most hope.

6. Remember there IS hope. You're in a hole, a fucking deep and shitty one, but you can get out of it. It'll take time and effort, even when you don't think you have any effort to give, but try to do one or two of the things on this list and you'll start to feel a little better each time, and go from there.

Meds didn't work for me, and I'd never take them again. Last ditch effort and they were garbage for me. Maybe they work for you, but not for me. I don't want them.

I almost just deleted this, but I think I'm going to post it anyways. Even though everyone on the internet is a badass that fucks 10's, if this helps one person, then it was worth posting and making myself look like a pussy lol.

Off to crush some legs.

Post: #13

I felt remorse until I heard he committed suicide. Fuck that pussy for taking the coward's way out. Life is never so bad that ending it is the only alternative.

Post: #14

Big up to you for sharing your experience Rio. Never felt quite depressed; but felt the blues, and currently going through a tough situation financially. If you're not on your Game as a man, few actually give a fuck. That's when it's time to retreat, read positive shit, and plan the next move.

Post: #15

(07-20-2017 05:30 PM)Goldin Boy Wrote:  I felt remorse until I heard he committed suicide. Fuck that pussy for taking the coward's way out. Life is never so bad that ending it is the only alternative.

He had money, industry respect, a family and a cool house in PV...and he was fixated on getting molested as a child. You have to grow up and deal with your past at some point.

He sounds like a typical dude who never became a man. People who get molested get stuck in that childish mindset where they're repeatedly devastated when the world seems unfair. You see it a lot in the entertainment industry, 80% of the industry are handlers whose job is to enable the perpetual childhood of their clients.

Post: #16

Thanks for sharing that Rio, takes some guts to do that.

I have a cousin that committed suicide. 19 year old girl that was, by all objective standards, gorgeous. Grew up with 2 parents that loved her more than life itself and did everything they could to help her. She regularly saw counselors and therapists. No use.

It would be easy to say, "She's got everything going for her. Her youth, physical beauty, family that loves her, her whole life ahead of her." That's what I said when I found out she died.

It's easy to play sideline commentator when your head is in order. I get moments of deep depression and even still I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. But I also get glimpses of the pain and hopelessness that some unfortunate individuals experience, and it seems like no matter what they do they're simply unable to pull themselves out of it.

Post: #17

(07-20-2017 04:46 PM)lonewolf1992 Wrote:  I love Linkin Park, there's this anger and pure gut at least in their first records. I feel bad for this because I've suffered terrible depression episodes, and I know what it feels like.

I knew he had a troubled mind, but I guess when you are too emotional, neither wealth, fame nor a playboy pussy really matters.

The song Numb is just sweating and dripping anger and pain...

Post: #18

Note the article: he was "forced" to live with his father.

Like most kids are "forced" to live with their single mothers, only for some reason the media never spins it like that.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #19

Hearing this, and other incidents like this, is a sobering reminder that everything is fleeting.

It's very tempting to mask your problems with a poker face and leave everyone unaware.
It's very difficult to acknowledge your problems and confront them; it's just as difficult, if not more, to overcome them.

These are some of my favourite Linkin Park songs from their discography. RIP








Josh Groban Cover of My December

Post: #20

Linkin Park was what I thought was great music before I got full-bore into grunge and classic rock (and, particularly, Frank Zappa, which made me look into jazz and modern composers, supercharging my music obsession).

This isn't a bad thing. I still have fond memories of Hybrid Theory and how much I hated my life back then. This was my soundtrack to a painful time that I am very happy I am long past.

My finances are a mess, I idolize chicks too much, I am struggling to get better with workouts, and I wasted about five years meandering around in college before I found something productive to major in.

My life is unsatisfying...but when I hear "Numb" or "Somewhere I Belong" come on my playlist, I know the bottom of my life is long gone. I am in full control of my destiny now.

Post: #21

The Hollywood cult claims another body. I swear every time I hear about a death like this I can't help but put on my tinfoil hat and think about Roosh's Hollywood Is A Satanic Cult post.

Post: #22

^ Agreed. The fact Bennington was friends with Chris Cornell (and godfather to Cornell's son) and they died the same way just two months apart with Bennington hanging himself today (which would've been Cornell's birthday) is just too much to overlook. I'll see you in that thread, buddy.

Post: #23

#Soyicide

Post: #24

(07-20-2017 10:19 PM)CynicalContrarian Wrote:  #Soyicide

Most vegans won't stop talking about this.

Post: #25

(07-20-2017 04:16 PM)Comte De St. Germain Wrote:  I'm not one to take into account conspiracy theories, but I find it strange that an artist that so recently spoke out against the shittiness of modern music and fans died.

Man, I'm so old. I can remember when Linkin Park was held up as an example of 'the shittiness of modern music and fans'.

Hell, I'm so old, I finally 'get the joke' of a meme that's almost old enough for its balls to drop.