photo taken from heavy.com

It is with great shock and profound sadness that we are publishing the news of the death of Chester Bennington. The frontman of the famous rock band Linkin Park has committed suicide by hanging in his home at Palos Verdes Estates, California. He was 41 years old. The tragic event happened when an employee discovered his body around 9 a.m. PDT yesterday (July 20, 2017). The singer has married three times and have six children.

Mike Shinoda – the band’s co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist has confirmed the news on Twitter.

Bennington’s death occurred on what would have been Chris Cornell‘s 53rd birthday. Cornell, who was a close friend of Bennington, had also died of suicide by hanging two months prior. Bennington sang Leonard Cohen‘s song “Hallelujah” at the latter’ funeral. He was also the godfather of Cornell’s son, Christopher.

Fans from all over the world has expressed their sorrows and shared their memories. A bevy of stars has also shared their thoughts about the demise of the famous singer.

Singer Rihanna posted her feelings in her Instagram by saying the following lines

 “???????????????????????????????????? Literally the most impressive talent I’ve ever seen live!” She captioned a photo of Bennington performing. “Vocal beast! #RIPChester #LinkinPark.”

Notable talk show host Jimmy Kimmel also expressed his sadness over the tragic incident.

Born on March 20, 1976 to a mother who was a nurse, and a father who was a police detective who worked with child sex abuse cases and took double shifts; Chester took interest in music at a very young age. His early influences were Stone Temple Pilots and Depeche Mode. At the age of 11, his parents divorced and his father gained custody of him. Things started to take a wrong turn when he started taking drugs.

Bennington joined Linkin Park in March 1999 and released their debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. The album instantly gained success selling more than 4.8 million copies during the debut year and earned the status of best selling album in 2001. The songs Crawling, In The End, One Step Closer, Papercut are among others which have gained the hearts of everyone.

Their second album Meteora was released in 2003, and as of 2013 it has sold over 27 million copies worldwide, and is certified four times platinum by the RIAA. It features hit numbers like Numb, Somewhere I Belong, Breaking The Habit have gained a lot of attentions from the listenners worldwide. The song “Session” was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for the best Instrumental Performance losing to Jeff Beck‘s “Plan B”.

There weren’t a single kid who grew up in the late 90’s and the early 2000’s and haven’t listened to these two albums.

The band won many awards which include American Music Awards, MTV Music Awards, Billboard Awards and more. They have won two Grammys from nine nominations.