LOS ANGELES – Chester Bennington, the lead singer of rock band Linkin Park, was found dead on Thursday at his Southern California home in an apparent suicide, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said.
Coroner’s office spokesman Brian Elias said his office had been notified by law enforcement of the death of Bennington, 41, on Thursday morning. Elias said the death was being handled as an apparent suicide.
Celebrity website TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, said Bennington had hanged himself at his Palos Verdes home near Los Angeles.
Representatives of the band did not immediately return calls for comment.
Bennington had a history of alcohol and drug abuse. He had spoken openly in the past about his struggles to overcome his demons when Linkin Park first found success in 2000 with the album “Hybrid Theory.” But in 2011 he said he had been sober for six years.
The band’s latest studio album, “One More Light,” was released in May, and Linkin Park embarked on a world tour.
Bennington’s death came a week before the band was due to kick off the U.S. leg of its tour on July 27 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
RELATED PHOTOS
-
Chester Bennington sings during the MMRBQ Music Festival 2015 at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey. The Los Angeles County coroner says Bennington, who sold millions of albums with a unique mix of rock, hip-hop and rap, has died in his home near Los Angeles. He was 41. Coroner spokesman Brian Elias says they are investigating Bennington's death as an apparent suicide but no additional details are available. | OWEN SWEENEY / INVISION / VIA AP
