Former Linkin Park member Chester Bennington tragically passed away when he took his own life on July 20, 2017. His son, Jamie Bennington has now revealed that he is investigating his father’s passing.
Chester Bennington’s son investigating
Chester’s tragic passing highlighted the importance of mental health awareness, especially within the music industry, where the pressures of fame and constant touring can take a toll. His death occurred on what would have been the 53rd birthday of his close friend Chris Cornell, who had also passed away just two months earlier.
Linkin Park recently played their first show of their reunion tour on September 11th. The band announced their return on September 5th with a one-hour livestream of a concert in Los Angeles.
The Kia Forum show saw the introduction of their new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who have joined returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and Joe Hahn in the band’s new lineup.
The addition of Emily Armstrong to the band garnered mixed reactions from the fans and Mike Shinoda has also addressed the same. She has also received support from Chester’s widow, Talinda Bennington, who seemingly approved of the band’s choice to replace Chester.
However, Chester’s son, Jaime Bennington launched a scathing attack on the band for their decision to hire new lead singer Emily Armstrong.
“You quietly erased my father’s life and legacy in real time… during international prevention month and refusing to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base,” Jaime said.
He added, “You betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself. We trusted you to be the bigger, better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf.”
It came to light that Emily had ties to Scientology and supported Danny Masterson amid his sexual assault trial. Armstrong later issued a statement distancing herself from Masterson, saying she did not at the time understand the seriousness of the allegations.
“I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes,” she wrote.
Linkin Park recently announced a short world tour which will see several arena shows across the world between September and November this year. Their stops include New York, Germany, London, South Korea and Colombia.
