It’s rare that a celebrity death will get to me, on a personal level. Sure, death is always sad, but most celebrities are strangers whose artistic legacy may or may not have affected me. I regret that the planet has lost a person that used their influence for good, bc that is something worth regretting, but I remain unaffected.
There are a few celebrity deaths that hit a bit closer to home. Princess Diana, Robin Williams.
And now Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. This one hurts.
Like every other middle-class white kid growing up in the suburbs, I could sing along to all of Linkin Park’s albums. I could relate. #adolescentangst But unlike most of my teenage musical appreciation, I’ve continued to relate. If anything, I relate more now. Not in a nostalgic way, but in “great music remains timeless and relevant” kinda way. My adolescent angst has given way to my shadow, and it hasn’t been easy. I listen to the lyrics, from their earliest stuff till now, and my teenage recognition of a shared emotion has deepened into a sadness, an understanding of what 17 years of an endless struggle feels like.
That sadness is now tinged with despair. Whenever someone loses their battle against depression, especially after putting up a valiant fight, I panic. The older I get, the more I get it. I get the exhaustion that leads someone to say, “I can’t anymore. I have no fight left in me.” I feel deep sorrow that the world has lost Chester Bennington’s voice forevermore. I am grateful we have record of 17 years of his inspired music. But most of all, I feel an odd satisfaction that finally, the guy is at peace, free from his shadow. 41 years is a lot of years to put up a fight. Well done, buddy. You were a trooper. Thank you for making the rest of us feel less alone, for the space of a few minutes, a few songs. You brought us relief, however temporary. Now, rest.
This cover. He rolled in the deep, alright.
For those who aren’t as familiar with Linkin Park’s work, I STRONGLY recommend the following albums:
- Linkin Park, Live in Texas
- Collision Course – Linkin Park’s genius collaboration with Jay-Z. Can we take a second to appreciate Jay-Z’s face at the end of this video?https://youtu.be/kBnJnXq4YQ8
Chester could sing.
Until he couldn’t anymore.
#depressionsucks
Discovering ratchet 
I was shocked, and had no idea that he was depressed. His music was wonderful. I had a friend of mine of Facebook say that it takes a weak piece of shit to kill themselves when they have children. I told him that when you suffer from depression, even your depression tells you that your children would be better off without you. He was very insistent that we all have things we struggle with, but choose to stay alive for our children. It’s hard to argue that logic with someone that doesn’t really know deep depression. *sighs*
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