Mike Shinoda speaks about his struggle to come to terms with the death of Linkin Park bandmate and friend Chester Bennington
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's suicide was saddening to his fans, but one can only imagine how much harder it must have been to his longtime friend and band member Mike Shinoda. In his latest album 'Post Traumatic' he transforms his sorrow into music.
Bennington was found dead in his LA home last year on July 20. He had reportedly suffered from depression and addiction for a while. People reported how he hung himself and his body was discovered by the housekeeper. Chester was 41 years old at the time. Mike was the one to confirm the tragic news on Twitter. He had said, "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."
The 41-year-old Shinoda spoke to People about how he felt. "He was a legendary rock singer, a great human being, and a good friend. The stories and memories — we'll always have those," he said, nostalgic.
"I was anxious about going in the studio at first. Then, once I got in, it was a really cathartic thing. Music just started pouring out of me." He, along with Bennington were the founding members of the iconic band that has played in arenas all around the world. They both started LP in 1996.
'Post Traumatic' is a tribute to his friend Chester and features tracks that are written on the duo's relationship, his feelings about Chester's unfortunate demise and his struggle to deal with the grief. This is the singer's second solo attempt after 'The Rising Tied' that released in November 2005.
Shinoda added that this album was in ways "therapeutic". "I was writing all this stuff the way I was processing it. I think that's therapeutic, in the long run. On the first half of it, there’s really a palpable sense of grief, and then as it goes on, it brightens up and goes to other places," he said. He is hopeful that this album will also inspire people with mental health to seek help. "We can do some powerful things. I think too many people are embarrassed and don't want to [get help] because they feel weak. I hope we get to a point where that’s not really the norm."
He revealed that he was actually iffy about telling the rest of LP about this album. "I was nervous to tell the guys about it when I wanted to do it. They've been awesome; they've been super supportive." He also added that the band is still close to their late bandmate's kids and wife. "All the guys and her and the kids, we're all a big family." Bennington has six kids.
Shinoda recently debuted a single called 'Crossing the Line' on the Tonight Show recently. He is on tour currently.