Chester Bennington

Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the lead singer for Linkin Park.

Biography 
Early years
Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. He was interested in music since he was young and he liked mostly Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. His parents separated in the late 1980s, and was raised by his father. Later he had problems with drugs. 

Professional music career
At the beginning he was a vocalist in a grunge band called Grey Daze. He left Grey Daze in 1998. After that, the vice president of A&R at Zomba Music in Los Angeles, offered Bennington an audition with Linkin Park. Bennington went to California and joined the band. Their name was “Hybrid Theory” back then. The other vocalist was Mike Shinoda. After some rejections, Jeff Blue operated to help the band sign with Warner Bros. Records.

In spite of the success in the early 2000s, Bennington has had personal problems outside of the public interest.

Personal life
Bennington had a son in 1996 by Elka Brand and in 2006 adopted her other son who was born in 1997. In 1996 Bennington married Samantha Marie Olit. Their child was born in 2002. The couple divorced in 2005. In 2006, Bennington married Talinda Bentley, a former Playboy model. He had three children with Bentley, a son born in 2006, and twin daughters born in 2011.

Death
Bennington died by suicide by hanging himself on July 20, 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California at the age of 41, the day on what would have been his close friend, Chris Cornell's 53rd birthday who also died by suicide a few months earlier.

Discography
With Grey Daze
 Year Album details Peak chartpositions AUS AUT GER SWI UK UKRock US Wake Me Released: 1994
 Formats: CD —  —  —  —  —  —  — ...No Sun Today Released: May 23, 1997
 Formats: CD —  —  —  —  —  —  — Amends Released: June 26, 2020
 Formats: CD, LP, download 30  29  9  17  62  1  75 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

 Singles 
 Title Year Peak chart positions Album US Main. USRock USRockAir. "What's In the Eye?" 2020 —  —  — Amends "Sickness" 2  35  11 "Sometimes" —  —  — "Soul Song" —  40  — "B12" 29  —  —

 Music videos 
 "What's In the Eye" (2020)
 "Sickness" (2020)
 "Soul Song" (2020)
 "B12" (2020)
 "In Time" (2020)
 "Shouting Out" (2020)

With Linkin Park

 Hybrid Theory (2000)
 Meteora (2003)
 Minutes to Midnight (2007)
 A Thousand Suns (2010)
 Living Things (2012)
 The Hunting Party (2014)
 One More Light (2017)

With Dead by Sunrise
 Out of Ashes (2009)

With Stone Temple Pilots
 High Rise (2013)

Album contributions and singles
 Year  Artist  Song  Release2001  DJ Lethal "Cry To Yourself" (also known as "State of the Art") N/A - originally intended for DJ Lethal's unreleased album "State of the Art"2002  Stone Temple Pilots  "Wonderful (Live)"  The Family Values 2001 Tour2002  Chester Bennington  "System"  Queen of the Damned soundtrack Cyclefly "Karma Killer"  Crave 2004  Handsome Boy Modeling School featuring DJ Q-bert, Grand Wizard Theodore, Jazzy Jay, Lord Finesse, Mike Shinoda, Rahzel & Chester Bennington / Tim Meadows "Rock N' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) (Part 2) / Knockers"  White People2005  Z-Trip "Walking Dead"  Shifting Gears Mötley Crüe  "Home Sweet Home" (remake)  Non-album charity single2006  Chester Bennington  "Morning After (Julien-K Remix)"  Underworld: Evolution (soundtrack) Mindless Self Indulgence "What Do They Know? (Mindless Self Indulgence Vs. Julien-K & Chester Bennington Remix)"  Another Mindless Rip Off 2007  Young Buck  "Slow Ya Roll"  Buck the World 2008/2010  Chris Cornell  "Hunger Strike (Live at Projekt Revolution 2008)"  Songs from the Underground
A Decade Underground 2010  Santana featuring Chester Bennington & Ray Manzarek  "Riders on the Storm" (The Doors cover)  Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time 2019  Mark Morton featuring Chester Bennington  "Cross Off"  Anesthetic

References

Other websites
Linkin Park official website

Category:1976 births
Category:2017 deaths
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters
Category:American rock musicians
Category:Linkin Park members
Category:Singers from Phoenix, Arizona
Category:Suicide in 2017
Category:Suicides by hanging in the United States
Category:Suicides in California
Category:Writers from Phoenix, Arizona
Category:Musicians who committed suicide