For me it was Cheater Bennington. Linkin Park music helped me through some hard times and I know some of the more impactful lyrics came from him and what he experienced.
Knowing he couldn’t take it anymore definitely hit Me hard particularly as someone I looked up to from young age …
Who was yours ?
Tom Petty and Whitney Houston. Two of my favourite singers of the 1980s and 1990s.
Chester Bennington didn’t hit me at all — at first. Linkin Park had been growing out of favour with me, especially with regards to some of the things the band (and I think Chester) were saying about fans who preferred Hybrid Theory or Meteora to the newer stuff. Then I heard what Chester went through in his youth and how the music was therapy for him. It gave context to what he/the others said, and then it hit me. I hate that he felt he wasn’t enough to overcome his demons, but I hope that his music makes the next person stronger. Truly a loss for humanity and the arts. Good on Linkin Park for forging ahead, though I didn’t care for the new record. (Nothing against the singer, I just didn’t like the album.)
It’s worth noting that my favourite band was hand-picked by Chester to tour with them, but then he died and that didn’t happen. The band is ONE OK ROCK, originally from Japan (based out of Los Angeles for the last 10 years, though, and most of their songs are in English, or at least their music since the move). They did fine without Linkin Park, but I would have loved to see the two of them together (with Chester). Mike Shinoda either did a few live shows with ONE OK ROCK, or Takahiro Moriuchi did a few live shows with Linkin Park (or maybe just Mike Shinoda), shortly after Chester died. It’s just some live stuff though, and poorly recorded. Taka would have made a better singer for Linkin Park as he could do most of Chester’s style, but I wouldn’t have liked the move as it would have ended my favourite band. So I’m glad we still have both, and maybe Linkin Park’s next album will be better — I will certainly be here for it.