When the news broke that Chester Bennington, frontman of Linkin Park and erstwhile Stone Temple Pilot, had committed suicide, it wasn’t long before his fans and peers began posting their tributes to the late singer. Jared Leto, who fronts Thirty Seconds To Mars in his non-movie time, issued a touching memorial for his friend. Bennington’s bandmates quickly created a space for fans to congregate online to share their memories, and have now issued their own tribute to their late collaborator.
The letter, which you can read in full via Variety, begins “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.” In their remembrance, Linkin Park’s members also touch on Bennington’s struggles with substance abuse and depression, which both fueled and hindered his music career: “We’re trying to remind ourselves that the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal. After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place.”