Linkin Park bids farewell to Chester Bennington in heartfelt tribute

It’s been four days since the sudden passing of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, but the feeling of emptiness still resonates from the band’s millions of fans around the world.

READ: Chester Bennington’s death falls on same day as pal Chris Cornell’s birthday

The band recently broke its silence and addressed the tragedy with a heartfelt post dedicated to the 41-year-old rock music icon.

“Dear Chester, Our hearts are broken. The shockwaves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened,” a post from Linkin Park’s official Facebook page read.

The touching tribute extended gratitude from Bennington’s family to those who mourned and lauded Bennington for his life outside the limelight.

“Talinda (Bennington’s wife) and the family appreciate it, and want the world to know that you were the best husband, son, and father; the family will never be whole without you,” it read.

Known best for his versatile vocals and emotional lyricism, Bennington was described by the band as a “boisterous, funny, ambitious, creative, kind and generous voice.”

The band also delved into his darker side, unbeknown to his millions of admirers.

“We’re trying to remind ourselves that the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal,” the post said.

“After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place. You fearlessly put them on display, and in doing so, brought us together and taught us to be more human. You had the biggest heart, and managed to wear it on your sleeve.”

It still remains unclear what direction Linkin Park will push through without Chester at the helm, as the band has already canceled its remaining tours for the year.

A link for https://chester.linkinpark.com/ ,which offers help to those experiencing severe depression, was posted as well.

Shortly after the Facebook post, Chester co-vocalist Mike Shinoda uploaded an old photo of the band on his Instagram page.

“I think this was the first photo we ever took together. We had just told Chester that we wanted him to join the band,” Shinoda shared. “The band was called Xero at the time, and we probably had less than a half a dozen songs. No flame tattoos yet, no red hair yet, most of us were still in college,” he wrote.  /ra

1997 or 1998…I think this was the first photo we ever took together. We had just told Chester that we wanted him to join the band. He said he was ready to move out from Arizona to L.A. We went to a pizza place near UCLA to hang out and talk about what to do next. The band was called Xero at the time, and we probably had less than a half a dozen songs. No flame tattoos yet, no red hair yet, most of us were still in college.

A post shared by Mike Shinoda (@m_shinoda) on Jul 24, 2017 at 9:47am PDT

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