Chester Bennington

Ameer Helmi
Jul 21, 2017 · 1 min read

It is still real. The news derailed everything yesterday. It became reflective and personal, productive in a different way. Linkin Park influenced my teenage years more than any band and I am devastated that Chester Bennington is gone.

Meteora was the first album I ever got to buy, back in a time where angst was heavy and I didn’t know how to deal with the emotions of puberty. Chester and Mike Shinoda wrote lyrics I could attach to and grow with. “Faint” and “Lying from You” were my anger, “Numb” was my sadness. Linkin Park was my outlet when I needed it most and I will never forget that. With their newer music, I didn’t connect the same way but I understood why they made music the way they did. They revisited the past here and there, showing appreciation for the anger but they ultimately moved past it.

Every song, old and new, will now hang heavy with context and pain. The hints of agony are not subtle in many of their songs and no matter how complex or simple the lyrics were, it was always there. Linkin Park is my OG and I already miss Chester so much. I wouldn’t be me without them.

Everyone has problems but not everyone wins out. Chester struggled with an array of addictions and past miseries and he ended up losing his battle. I will strive to win mine, for myself and the people around me.

RIP Chester Bennington

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