Linkin Park's Chester Bennington was laid to rest in a private funeral at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, California on Saturday, July 30th. TMZ reports the service was attended by a couple hundred people. The family of Bennington chose to keep the memorial private and there was tight security at the event.
TMZ notes there was a full-stage set up, including a drum kit at the service and attendees received wrist bands and VIP passes, much like they would at a Linkin Park concert. Some in attendance include members of Dead By Sunrise (Chester's side project, former Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile and hip hop artist Blackbear.The three took to social media to pay tribute to Chester after the ceremony:
beautiful ceremony.. a lil piece of u has & will be in every song i sing on stage forever. @chesterbe @linkinpark #chesterbennington pic.twitter.com/IXHMxDbvMn
— blackbear (@iamblackbear) July 29, 2017
Chester sadly died via suicide a little over a week ago. Bennington committed suicide by hanging in his home, just outside of Los Angeles. He was discovered by a housekeeper and shortly after, a bandmate arrived to pick him up for a scheduled photo shoot, only to see what had happened.
If you or someone you care about is thinking about suicide, please reach out to someone who can help. Here is an excellent write-up by my friend Stabitha explaining what you should do if you or a friend need help. In the United States, the national Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. International readers can find your country's number here.
