Background

Ethnicity: Chester had English, Welsh, Scottish and small traces of German ancestry.

Chester Charles Bennington was born on March 20, 1976, in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother was a nurse, while his father was a police detective who worked on child sexual abuse cases.

Education

Chester attended Greenway High School at the beginning of his freshman year but later went to Washington High School and he graduated there. Chester said that while he was in high school he was bullied and he described himself as a geek.

Bennington suffered sexual abuse from an older male friend when he was seven years old. He was afraid to ask for help because he did not want people to think he was gay or lying, and the abuse continued until the age of 13 years.

His parents divorced when he was 11 years old. The abuse and situation at home affected him so much that he felt the urge to kill people and run away. To comfort himself, he drew pictures and wrote poetry and songs. After the divorce his father gained custody of him. Bennington started abusing alcohol, marijuana, opium, cocaine, meth, and LSD. He was physically bullied in high school. In an interview, he said that he was "knocked around like a rag doll at school, for being skinny and looking different".

Career

While Chester was growing up, he was in a number of bands. He played various instruments, but mainly he was a vocalist. He never settled in a full-time band until 1992, when he joined Grey Daze. The band disbanded in 1997 and he moved on to Linkin Park.

Bennington was formerly the lead vocalist in a band called Grey Daze through 1993 to 1998 who were popular across Arizona and the United States but didn't achieve global status. Chester thought he was not getting enough credit for his vocals and lyrics so he left the band. While with Grey Daze Chester recorded two albums, "Wake Me" in 1994 and "...no sun today" in 1997 along with one demo tape "Sean Dowdell and his Friends?" in 1993 while the band was under the same name. Since Chester left, they have replaced him with a new female singer, Jodi Wendt, renamed the band to Waterface and have recorded one album, "Seven Days".

Chester was going to reunite with Grey Daze for one last performance to raise some money to help the former Grey Daze member Bobby Benish who has a brain tumor at the Dodge Theatre in Arizona along with bands Phunk Junkeez, Pokerface and Gift. But, unfortunately, Chester had to postpone the performance due to Linkin Park's recording schedule while they were working on Meteora. Since then Bobby Benish has died due to his brain tumor.

In 1998 Linkin Park advertised for a vocalist due to trouble with getting signed. A firm that were mutual friends with Chester told the rest of Linkin Park (then called Xero) that Chester Bennington would be good for the job. They sent Chester a demo and asked Chester to sing to it. Within three days, one of which was his birthday (apparently he didn't show up for his birthday party because he was working on the demo) he had recorded the demo and played it to Xero over the phone, they were blown away and asked Chester to fly to Los Angeles. Xero changed their name to Hybrid Theory and recorded the Hybrid Theory EP which included the songs "Carousel", "Technique", "Step Up", "And One", "High Voltage" and "Part Of Me". They attracted some attention from some record labels and eventually decided to sign to Warner Brothers Records.

Due to a copyright issue with the British group Hybrid, they had to change their name. Chester suggested Linkin Park because after recording sessions Chester would drive past Lincoln Park in Santa Monica. They recorded their debut album, Hybrid Theory through 1999-2000 and it was released on October 24, 2000. It produced hits like In The End and Crawling. Hybrid Theory has since sold over 19 million copies around the world. Then in 2002 Linkin Park released the remix album Reanimation, featuring remixes from Hybrid Theory. Chester and Linkin Park then recorded their next album Meteora featuring hits like Somewhere I Belong and Numb. They released the live album Live in Texas and the "mash-up" album with Jay-Z, Collision Course. His co-writer and fellow band member Mike Shinoda wrote a song, which until recently could not be performed live. The song, called "Breaking the Habit," brought back memories from the past which in many cases reduced Bennington to tears. There is much speculation behind the meaning of the song, including Chester's drug addiction and childhood issues. The song took Mike Shinoda six years to write and was released a single in June 2004 and was included on the Meteora album. Linkin Park has a new record coming out in late summer (July to September), the record is going under the working title of YunGodtre and Chester has described it as "Dark, Poppy and Melodic" different from their other albums which fused Rock and Hip-hop.

In 2009 Chester Finally released an album with his side project, Dead By Sunrise. The album is named "Out Of Ashes" and recived relative sucess. This band features all the Julien-K members. In 2010 after touring with Dead By Sunrise, Dead By Sunrise went on a break to let Chester Finish writing Linkin Park's Album and also to let the rest of the band finish the Julien-K album.

In February 2013, Stone Temple Pilots parted ways with long-time lead singer Scott Weiland. The band recruited Bennington to replace Weiland in May 2013. On May 18, 2013, Bennington took the stage at KROQ's Weenie Roast with the band. The setlist included original Stone Temple Pilots songs, as well as their first single with Bennington on vocals called "Out of Time", which debuted on May 19 and was available for free download via their official website. It was later announced by Chester and the band in an exclusive KROQ interview that he was officially the new frontman of Stone Temple Pilots and discussed the possibility of a new album and tour. The song "Out of Time" is featured on their EP High Rise, which was released on October 8, 2013.

Bennington was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California; his housekeeper discovered his body around 9:00 a.m. PDT on July 20, 2017. His death was ruled a suicide. Mike Shinoda confirmed his death on Twitter, writing, "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one". On July 21, Brian Elias, the chief of operations for the office of the medical examiner-coroner, confirmed that a half-empty bottle of alcohol was found at the scene, but no other drugs were present.The band announced that they had canceled the North American leg of their One More Light Tour following Bennington's death and that tickets would be refunded.

Bennington's funeral was held at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, California, on July 29. In addition to his family members and close friends, many musicians who toured or played with Linkin Park were also in attendance. The service also included a full stage for musical tributes. Bennington was cremated.

Achievements

• 

  Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the 2000s. Linkin Park has sold more than 100 million records. The group's first studio album Hybrid Theory is one of the best-selling albums in the United States.
  
  Bennington is widely regarded as one of the top rock musicians of the 2000s. Hit Parader magazine placed him at number 45 on their list of the "100 Metal Vocalists of All Time".

Works

More photos

• music

  • Hybrid Theory 2000
  • Meteora 2003
  • Minutes To Midnight 2007
  • Out Of Ashes 2009
  • A Thousand Suns 2010
  • Living Things 2012
  • The Hunting Party 2017
  • One More Light 2017

Religion

Chester Bennington preferred not to publicize his religious views.

Politics

Chester Bennington has publicly come out in support of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who is vying to become the next President of the United States.

Asked in a 2012 interview with Independent Philly if he wears his political affiliations on his sleeve, Bennington said: "It's such a private and personal moment to kind of choose who you think is going to be the best leader. And the last thing you want to do is influence somebody else to vote based on what they think of you as opposed to what they think of the politician they're voting for. So we definitely don't really kind of brag about who we're going to vote for, but we do talk about the things that are important to us. And the things that are very important to us at this point are really making sure that our tours are as environmentally friendly as possible, and also giving back to our local community as well as the world community that has been so good to us. So those are the things that matter to us."

Views

Linkin Park are known as a philanthropic and concerned band. On January 19, 2010, Linkin Park released a new song titled "Not Alone" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief called Download to Donate for Haiti in support of the Haiti Earthquake crisis. On February 10, 2010, Linkin Park released the official music video for the song on their homepage. The single itself was released on October 21, 2011.

On January 11, 2011, an updated version of Download to Donate for Haiti was launched, called Download to Donate for Haiti V2.0, with more songs to download. For the updated compilation, the band released Keaton Hashimoto's remix of "The Catalyst" from the "Linkin Park featuring YOU" contest.

In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Linkin Park played at Club Nokia during the "Music for Relief: Concert for the Philippines" in Los Angeles, and raised donations for victims. The show was broadcast on AXS TV on February 15. Other artists during the show included The Offspring, Bad Religion, Heart, and The Filharmonic.

Quotations: “I have been able to tap into all the negative things that can happen to me throughout my life by numbing myself to the pain so to speak and kind of being able to vent it through my music.”

“You can’t be afraid of people willing to hurt you, cause if you fear life, then you will never live.”

“I’m strong on the outside, not all the way through. I’ve never been perfect, but neither have you.”

“When life leaves us blind, love keeps us kind.”

“Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb scream in silence everyone’s sleeping.”

“I always wanted to be a rock star. That was my childhood dream. That’s what I told everybody I was going to be when I grew up.”

“What’s the worst thing I’ve stolen? Probably little pieces of other people’s lives. Where I’ve either wasted their time or hurt them in some way. That’s the worst thing you can steal, the time of other people. You just can’t get that back.”

“When I’m writing, I’m constantly thinking about myself, because it’s the only experience I have to draw on. And I don’t see an exact reflection of myself in every face in the audience, but I know that my songs have validity to them, and that’s why the fans are there.”

“I don’t like to hold back, because that’s how you hurt yourself.”

“You’re constantly trying to prove yourself, even after you’ve made it.”

“Some kids are so depressed at home and with how people treat them in school that they cut themselves. This happens all over the world  -  kids who don’t want to kill themselves, but nobody understands how much they hurt, so they cut themselves with razor blades.”

“Success is nice, but it shouldn’t be the only reason why you’re a musician.”

“Our Fans are the best fans in the world, don’t mess with them.”

“If fans come up to me, I talk to them.”

“The hardest part of ending is starting again.”

Personality

Chester Bennington struggled with depression for much of his life. He also had serious problems with alcohol and drugs. His daily workout focused on building his total body strength and improving his stamina. His typical routine included exercises such as hammer curls, shoulder presses, kettlebell swings, Turkish get-ups and bear crawls with sled hitched to his body and animal inspired movements. His trainer also used to work on his hand to eye coordination and his reflexes, so that he could dodge things throw on stage by rowdy fans.

Even, when his band was traveling, he made sure that he was working out. He and Linkin Park bassist Dave Farrell used to set up push-ups and pull-ups contest on the side of the stage. Farrell often used to trump him pull-ups contest.

Chester was a hardcore gym rat. He had to work out almost every day and used to spend around 2 to 3 hours in the gym, almost on daily basis. His daily workouts weren’t mainly limited to slogging in the gym and performing his favorite exercises such as squats, pushing the sled, deadlifts, and leg presses. He was into various forms of Pilates, spin classes as well.

Chester Bennington was an unstoppable persona. In 2006 he broke his wrist during a stage dive. Despite his injury, he did not leave the stage until they finished the entire show. After heading to the emergency room, he received five stitches.

Physical Characteristics: Bennington possessed a three octave lyric tenor vocal range, beginning from a low G2 and rising to a high G5. His vocals have shown tremendous durability for the entirety of his career. Altheapi of Rolling Stone wrote: "Bennington's voice embodied the anguish and wide-ranging emotions of the lyrics, from capturing life's vulnerable moments to the fury and catharsis found in his belted screams, which he would often move between at the turn of a dime."

In his autopsy his body weighed 167 pounds and measured 69 inches (5ft 9).

Quotes from others about the person

• "Chester was really loud, and it wasn’t just volume – he had a loud personality. We would joke that he could just go about anywhere and make friends with everybody in the place. He was just a really fun-loving dude, but he was also complicated. He could be really hot and cold on stuff. My joke with him was that he never liked a movie. If he’d seen a movie I hadn’t yet, I’d ask him how it was and either it would be an 11 out of 10 or, ‘I can’t believe anybody ever made that movie. Who the fuck decided to put money behind such a piece of crap? I wish I could get my money back.’ And that was just him." - Mike Shinoda

Interests

• Bennington was a tattoo enthusiast. He had done work and promotions with Club Tattoo, a tattoo parlor in Tempe, Arizona. Club Tattoo is owned by Sean Dowdell, Bennington's friend since high school with whom he played in two bands.
  
  He had a lot of pets. According to a 2016 interview, he admitted to having a “farm” in his house, with two pigs. goats, three bantam chickens, a tortoise, six dogs, two cats and fishes.

• Sport & Clubs

  basketball, football, baseball, ice hockey

• Athletes

  Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Arizona Coyotes

• Music & Bands

  Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Arcade Fire, Circle Jerks, Descendents, Deftones, Jane's Addiction, Metallica, Ministry, Minor Threat, Misfits, The Naked and Famous, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Refused, Skinny Puppy, Soundgarden

Connections

Bennington had a child, Jaime (born May 12, 1996), from his relationship with Elka Brand. In 2006, he adopted Brand's other son, Isaiah (born November 8, 1997). He married his first wife, Samantha Marie Olit, on October 31, 1996. They had one child together, Draven Sebastian (born April 19, 2002). Bennington's relationship with his first wife declined during his early years with Linkin Park, and they divorced in 2005. In 2006, he married Talinda Ann Bentley, a former Playboy model with whom he had three children: Tyler Lee Bennington (born March 16, 2006) and twins Lilly and Lila (born November 6, 2011).

He loved his kids a lot. Once he had quit a tour because he wanted to spend more time with his kids. Here’s what he said:

“I had so much fun. I actually still get to play with those guys every once in a while, I have a deep deep love. The only reason why I’m not doing it now is my kids, they would cry every time I would go on the road with STP. When I leave on tour with Linkin Park, they’re like, ‘Okay, we’ll see you when you get back.’ They understand what I’m doing, but when I would leave with STP they would cry. I started realizing, I think they thought I was choosing to do that over being at home with them, because I would be done with Linkin Park and coming home. It was just too hard on my family, so I basically was like, you know what, I’ve got to stop being selfish here. When I’m not doing Linkin Park, I’ve got to be home with my babies.”

Wife:

Samantha Marie Olit

Wife:

Talinda Ann Bentley

Son:

Draven Sebastian Bennington

Son:

Tyler Lee Bennington

Son:

Jaime Bennington

adopted son:

Isaiah Bennigton

Daughter:

Lilly Bennigton

Daughter:

Lila Bennigton

colleague:

Jay-Z (Shawn Carter)

Shawn Corey Carter is an American rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, and record producer. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, and one of the most acclaimed rappers of all time.

In 2004, Linkin Park made a huge splash in music when they teamed up with JAY-Z for the collaborative EP Collision Course, topping the Billboard 200 in its debut week.

Friend:

Chris Cornell

Christopher John Cornell was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave.

Chester Bennington and the late singer Chris Cornell had a close friendship. The two became friends while touring together in 2008.

colleague:

Mike Shinoda

Michael Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and graphic designer. He co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, producer, and lead vocalist.

colleague:

Joe Hahn

Joseph Hahn is an Korean-American musician, DJ, director and visual artist. He is best known as the DJ of the American rock band Linkin Park, doing the turntables, sampling, and programming for all seven of Linkin Park's albums.

colleague:

Dave Farrell

David Michael "Phoenix" Farrell is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also a member of Tasty Snax, a Christian rock and ska band.

colleague:

American

Bradford Phillip Delson is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the American rock band Linkin Park.

colleague:

Dave Farrell

Robert Gregory Bourdon is an American musician, best known as the drummer and founding member of the American rock band Linkin Park.

References

• Linkin Park: An Operator's Manual
• Linkin Park: The Unauthorised Biography in Words and Pictures (Book Series)
• Kerrang! Magazine (July 21, 2018) Chester Bennington: One Year Gone Tribute Issue