Chester Bennington, a name that has a million followers, a front man of the most loved brand; Linkin Park is as relevant as his songs are and as significant as his words were. It is quite hard to accept the fact that Chester has left us forever but has he? He’s so alive in his music and he’s so strong and relevant in his words. He was a man we all grew up listening to and he’s there in every memory associated with it. Chester is a legend and the way he crafted his life in all the ball and chain of life is an inspiration to many. Here we are with a few facts about Chester Bennington that will help you understand the Man he was.
Inspiring Facts about Chester Bennington
Not a Happy-Happy Childhood
Chester’s mother was a nurse and his father worked as a police detective in child sex abuse cases and took double shifts. Unfortunately, Chester’s parents divorced when he was 11 years of age. Later on, Chester grew up in his father’s custody.
In one of his interviews, Chester says that he was sexually abused by an older male friend and the situation was so worse that it literally made him kill the victim and run away. It was a time when Chester embraced the art and put out his feelings through pictures, poetry, and songs.
Sean Dowdell
Chester began singing for a band called Sean Dowdell with his friends. They released a three-track cassette in 1993 and moved on to create another band called Grunge brand from Phoenix, Arizona. This band recorded three albums; Demo in 1993, Wake / Me in 1994, and No Sun Today in 1997. Later, Chester leaves this band and struggle for a while.
Worked at Burger King
It is said that Chester worked at Burger King for his livelihood before joining Linkin Park. In fact, Chester said that he was bullied in his school for being skinny and was knocked around like a rag doll. Chester went through a severe trauma right from his childhood, and it was not so usual to ignore.
Burger King to Linkin Park
Chester started with an audition to Linkin Park. He got a demo tape for a band called Xero and auditioned for Mike Shinoda. It was a great moment for him as Shinoda thought that Bennington was the only man who could do justice to his melodies. Chester gained prominence as a vocalist in the band and the commercial success of Linkin park’s debut album, Hybrid theory (2010) was a game changer.
Chester’s association with other Brands
Chester’s music was not confined only to Linkin Park but he continued to work on other projects too. In 2005, he founded a band called Dead By Sunrise which gave a much edgier music than Linkin park but somewhere didn’t match the style of Linkin Park. In 2013, Chester became the frontman for Stone temple pilots, performed with them for two years before coming back to Linkin park’s team.
Chester and Drugs
For a very long time, Chester was abusing drugs and alcohol. In 2007, he said that he has started coming out of it. In 2011, after getting married to his second wife, Tilda Ann Bentley, he declared that he was sober.
Grammy Awards
Linkin Park has won twice out of six nominations for Grammy. It was ‘Crawling’ in 2001 and the second was for the best rap for their song ‘Numb/Encore’ along with Jay-Z in 2005.
Other Accolades
Linkin park’s first album, ‘Hybrid Theory’ was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005. It was also a best-selling album of the decade with the credit of hitting the maximum sales. Linkin park’s other studio albums with Chester; Meteora (2003), Minutes to Midnight (2007), A Thousand Suns (2010), Living Things (2012), and the Hunting Party (2014), went on to become a huge hit which eventually made Chester, a superstar.
Tattoo Enthusiast and a Fan of Phoenix Suns
Chester was a great fanatic of tattoos. He has also worked and did promotions with Club Tattoo which was owned by his friend Sean Dowdell. Chester was also a great fan of Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Arizona Coyotes.
Depression and Death
Chester’s struggle with depression started from his childhood and it continued to disturb him all his life. It is the same depression that pushed him to commit suicide. In fact, Chester’s death came as a greater surprise as nobody expected him to suicide. Ironically, the day he killed himself, his band released their music video and one of the band-mates even went to pick him up for the photo shoot planned on that day.
When the time comes
Forget the wrong that I’ve done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed
These were a few facts about Chester Bennington. Which is your favorite song of Chester? Leave your words in the comments below.
Get the Best of Metrosaga delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to Metrosaga and never miss an update from us.
