Chester Bennington

Dan Mitchell
Jul 25, 2020
2 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Chester Charles Bennington was born on March 20th, 1976, in Phoenix, Arizona.

He developed an interest in music early on, citing Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots as two of his earliest inspirations — bands that would shape both his taste and his future career.

Chester endured severe trauma in his childhood. Beginning at age seven, he was sexually abused by an older male friend. He kept the abuse secret for years, afraid of being judged or disbelieved, and it continued until he was thirteen. Later in life, he revealed the abuser’s identity to his father but chose not to pursue legal action after learning the abuser had also been a victim.

When Chester was eleven, his parents divorced, and he lived with his father afterward. During this period, he began struggling with substance abuse, using alcohol, marijuana, opium, cocaine, methamphetamine, and LSD.

At seventeen, Chester moved in with his mother. When she discovered his drug use, she restricted him from leaving the house for a time.

Chester’s first band was Sean Dowdell and His Friends?, who released a three‑track cassette. Chester and Sean later formed Grey Daze, a band that gained a strong local following before eventually splitting.

After Grey Daze ended, Chester auditioned for and joined a band called Xero — soon to be renamed Linkin Park. With Chester as co‑vocalist, the band achieved massive global success, releasing seven studio albums and earning numerous awards.

Chester didn’t limit himself to Linkin Park. He contributed vocals to other artists’ work, appeared on soundtracks, fronted one of his favourite bands — Stone Temple Pilots — and launched his own side project, Dead By Sunrise.

On July 20th, 2017, Chester died by suicide.

Later that year, Linkin Park held a memorial concert in his honour, featuring many guest artists paying tribute to his life and legacy.

In 2020, Chester’s former band Grey Daze released new music built around his archived vocal recordings, allowing fans to hear his voice once again.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Chester is my favourite singer of all time. I was lucky enough to catch Linkin Park in 2010 on the "A Thousand Suns" tour.

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