Following Chester Bennington's death on July 20, the remaining Linkin Park members released an emotional and heartbreaking open letter to their lead vocalist. The band's future remained a question mark; but, it also reaffirmed their remarkable and unexplainable love for performing and making music.
Bennington's death, which was announced as a suicide, came a week before Linkin Park was to start their US tour for "One More Light" which is set to begin in Boston on July 27. The said tour has been cancelled and refunds have been issued to those who have purchased tickets.
Forbes reported that after Bennington's death, Linkin Park's music immediately soared high on music charts. The album has entered on the Billboard 200 albums at number 17, earning album units of 23,000. Their three other albums, like "Hybrid Theory," "Meteora," and "Minutes to Midnight", are also entering the Billboard charts.
Below is the open letter of the rest of the Linkin Park members:
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.
You touched so many lives, maybe even more than you realized. In the past few days, we've seen an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world. Talinda 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.
Talking with you about the years ahead together, your excitement was infectious. Your absence leaves a void that can never be filled-a boisterous, funny, ambitious, creative, kind, generous voice in the room is missing. 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. 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.
Our love for making and performing music is inextinguishable. While we don't know what path our future may take, we know that each of our lives was made better by you. Thank you for that gift. We love you, and miss you so much.
Until we see you again,
LP
