Saying goodbye to the man who lived only to make music

This is my personal tribute to Chester Bennington (1976–2017)

Alice Barreto
Jul 23, 2017 · 4 min read
Photo by Suran Photography, obtained under a Creative Commons License

It’s Tuesday night and, for some reason, I feel like watching a video of Linkin Park live at Southside Festival, which was published on June 26.

I just watch the first song and notice how energetic Chester Bennington is on stage. Then I go to sleep.

Two days later, I learn that he hung himself in his house and that his death mimics that of his close friend Chris Cornell.

I immediately think it’s a bad joke, but several sources online tell the same story. He’s gone.

Later on, Mike Shinoda, also member of Linkin Park, confirms on Twitter that it’s all true.

I’m still on denial.

I can’t admit it.

I start thinking about all the stories that involve Chester and Linkin Park during my years in high school.

I remember listening to Hybrid Theory while doing homework and staying up really late just to play that album one more time.

Before discovering Linkin Park’s music, I only listened to boy bands. Hah.

Nu-metal turned out to be an eye-opening experience, and I liked the idea of making it part of me through the band. I really loved how Chester, Mike, Brad, Rob, Mr. Hahn and Phoenix sounded together.

I also thought that Linkin Park’s lyrics were genuine and enjoyed how loud they could be. Chester made them loud in a unique way. His voice simply became iconic, and his screams, soothing.

Photo by Chris Parker, obtained under a Creative Commons License

I wasn’t the only one who felt connected to the band’s music. It was great sharing this fondness with friends. Whenever we took a break, and whenever we felt like skipping class, we listened to songs from Hybrid Theory and Meteora.

Both albums became essential for me. There was never a day when I didn’t play them. My mom immediately noticed how much I was into the band and never stopped commenting on Chester’s singing style. Even though she didn’t really like Linkin Park, she let me be.

By the way, she bought me Meteora in 2004.

Later on, Live in Texas was released along with a DVD of the concert. This is still one of my favourite concerts. I knew that Chester was struggling with his health back then, but when he was on stage, you couldn’t really tell that was the case.

Some fans said his voice and screams sounded weak, but not to me. I’ve always thought his performance was fantastic.

In my eyes, Chester was full of energy.

Once again, another album marked my high school years. I remember coming home after class, turning on the computer, playing the DVD and singing along. It was my ritual every Friday.

Here’s one of my favourite songs from that concert.

I wasn’t just into the band’s music. I wanted to learn more about its members’ human side. I wanted to know how they got there and what inspired them to never give up on their dreams.

That was when I found out that Chester had gone through a lot of pain in his childhood and as a teenager. I knew that suicide was an idea that crossed his mind back then because he talked about it in an interview.

In other interviews, he also talked about his problems with alcohol and drugs, declaring that music was the only reason that kept him alive.

In spite of his struggle, he kept doing what he loved and kept inspiring fans. I’m not a musician, and I’m not interested in becoming one; however, thanks to Chester, I got more into creative writing.

Thanks to him, I discovered interests I didn’t know I would explore.

Thanks to him, I stopped being afraid of expressing what I really felt.

I can honestly say he was an inspiration to me, which is why it’s even harder to accept he’s gone.

I can’t even find words to keep writing this post. I can’t finish it because I’m still on denial, and I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to finally admit he’s dead.

I’m just going to share this video where Chester sings My December, a song from the Hybrid Theory era, performed at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in 2000.

Ladies and gentlemen, Chester Bennington:

Alice Barreto

Written by

Writer and tech assimilator • Observer • Design enthusiast • Learning to fly and swim

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