Remembering Chester Bennington: From Linkin Park to Stone Temple Pilots

As reported earlier today via Loudwire, and initially by TMZ, singer and musician Chester Bennington has committed suicide by hanging.  This comes only a short period after Chris Cornell, another rock legend and friend of Bennington's, also committed suicide by hanging.

The death of Chris Cornell, a rock hero of mine since childhood, was something that I struggled with as both a huge fan of the musician, but also as a mental health and psychiatric crisis nurse.  I even wrote a previous blog post reflecting on his suicide and my experience working with the suicidal.

It's absolutely heart breaking, and not just as music or rock fan, to have to hear about the suicide of yet another big name.  Suicide is something that hits a lot of us close to home, from our own emotional battles, to knowing others who have struggled.  TMZ also reported on the singer's past battles with addiction, something that I myself have struggled with in the past and blogged about.

I had the opportunity to see Chester Bennington live multiple times in my lifetime, both with Linkin Park and the Stone Temple Pilots.  He truly was a talent, from his own stage persona and energy with Linkin Park, to slithering around the stage in sunglasses and pink hair with Stone Temple Pilots.   Bennington had an incomparable charisma on stage, an amazing vocal range, and sang lyrics that paralleled emotional struggles that many have been through.  Sadly enough, the last live performance that I watched online from Bennington was him singing at Chris Cornell's funeral.  However, I am so grateful for the opportunities that I had to see his pure talent live, and all of the amazing rock music that I have been able to experience from Linkin Park and more.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can always turn to your nearest Emergency Departments or county mental health department for assistance.  In fact, the Albany County Department of Mental Health has a webpage devoted to services, and even has a mobile crisis unit available.  Also available 24 hours per day: