A few new details have emerged when it comes to Chester Bennington’s suicide.
As previously and tragically reported, the 41-year old Linkin Park singer killed himself on Thursday morning.
His body was discovered at his home in California around 9 a.m., with authorities determining Bennington died via hanging.
Famous for such hits as “Crawling,” “One Step Closer,” and “In the End,” Bennington and his Linkin Park bandmates put out one of the most popular albums in alternative rock history with “Meteora” in 2003.
The group won two Grammy Awards and sold over 70 million albums during its run.
But no amount of success could help Bennington overcome his demons.
He talked in the past about a drug addiction and depression that was linked to sexual abuse he suffered as a child.
It’s unknown at the moment whether any drugs were in Bennington’s system at the time of his death; nor can we know for sure what was on his mind when he made this fateful decision.
However, TMZ has provided a few tidbits about Bennington’s suicide that have left and wondering whether he was trying to mimic the suicide of close friend Chris Cornell.
(The Soundgarden frontman also killed himself this year; in May; at the age of 52.)
For example, Bennington’s corpse was discovered hanging from a door separating his bedroom from his closet.
As THG and other outlets reported a couple months ago, Cornell died in a Detroit hotel room… with his body hanging from a hotel door that separated the bedroom from the bathroom.
Bennington tied a belt around his neck, while Cornell used an exercise band to complete his final act.
Neither artist left a suicide note.
Insiders also tell TMZ that an empty bottle of alcohol was in the room where Bennington died, but there was no evidence of drug use.
Finally, and perhaps most tellingly, Bennington killed himself on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.
Again, we can’t possibly know what was going through Bennington’s mind when he chose to take his own life.
That’s one of the most scarring and disturbing things about suicide.
But he and Cornell were very close, with Bennington even singing at his late pal’s funeral this spring.
After Cornell was found dead, Bennington wrote the following letter to his friend:
I dreamt about the Beatles last night. I woke up with Rocky Raccoon playing in my head and a concerned look my wife’s face. She told me my friend had just passed away.
Thoughts of you flooded my mind and I wept.
I’m still weeping, with sadness, as well as gratitude for having shared some very special moments with you and your beautiful family. You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known.
Your talent was pure and unrivalled. your voice was joy and pain, anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one. I suppose that’s what we all are. You helped me understand that.
I just watched a video oof you singing “A Day In The Life” by the Beatles and thought of my dream. I’d like to think you were saying goodbye in your own way. I can’t imagine a world without you in it.
I pray you find peace in the next life. I send my love to your wife and children, friends and family.
We hope both these talented musicians have found the peace in heaven that they could not find on Earth.
May they rest in peace.