Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's difficult last days of addiction detailed in new memoir
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's struggles leading up to his death in 2017 have been revealed in a new book, 'It Starts With One: The Legend and Legacy of Linkin Park', authored by Jason Lipshutz.
The rock star, who was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates on July 20, 2017, battled addiction in his final months before his tragic suicide at age 41.
Ryan Shuck on Chester Bennington’s 'hour-by-hour' battle with addiction
Chester Bennington's battle with addiction, particularly his struggle with alcohol, is detailed through the accounts of his family and friends, shedding light on the difficult last days of his life.
Chester's close friend Ryan Shuck, who had collaborated with the singer on the 'Dead by Sunrise' album, described his ongoing fight with addiction.
“He was describing an hour-by-hour battle with addiction,” said Shuck in the memoir, adding that they had been texting about Chester's alcoholism in the weeks leading up to his death, People reported after obtaining excrepts of the book.
Chester had relapsed while making Linkin Park's 2017 album 'One More Light', which included a lengthy period of drinking in late 2016.
However, according to his wife Talinda Bennington, Chester had been sober for almost six months before his death.
Talinda Bennington discusses Chester Bennington's relapse and shame after that
The book also reveals that after Chester Bennington's death, an autopsy confirmed traces of alcohol in his system, and he was found with an empty beer bottle and a glass of Corona in the room.
Talinda reflected on this relapse, saying, “I knew instantly that that drink triggered that shame, triggered a lifetime of unhealthy neural pathways.”
Chester spent his final days with Talinda and their three children at their family cabin in Sedona, Arizona.
The couple married in 2006 and shared three children: Tyler, 16, Lily, 11, and Lila, 10. Chester also had three older sons from previous relationships: Isaiah, 24, Jamie, 26, and Draven, 20.
Mike Shinoda on his last meeting with Chester Bennington
Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda saw Chester Bennington for the last time just days before his death. They had spent time at a recording studio, with Chester introducing Mike to indie rapper and poet George Watsky.
After others left, Chester and Mike stayed behind, talking and brainstorming for upcoming shows.
"It was nothing special or notable; it was just what they had always done," Shinoda recalled.
Linkin Park recently announced they had recruited a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong.
The decision sparked backlash from some fans, including Chester's son Jaime Bennington and his mother, Susan Eubanks, who felt left out of the band's decisions, as noted by Daily Mail.
