Chester Bennington's 'hour-by-hour battle with addiction' revealed in new book
Chester Bennington, the late frontman of Linkin Park, was privately grappling with an "hour-by-hour battle with addiction" to alcohol in the months leading up to his death by suicide in 2017. This shocking detail has come to light in a new book by Jason Lipshutz titled It Starts With One: The Legend and Legacy of Linkin Park. The book explores both the band's meteoric rise and Bennington's personal struggles.
Bennington's struggle with addiction was 'hour-by-hour'
In his book, Lipshutz shares that Bennington was "privately telling loved ones about a specific problem: the urge to drink had consumed his thoughts once again." Ryan Shuck, a close friend of Bennington and collaborator on his Dead by Sunrise album during one of his darkest periods in the 2000s, confirmed this. Shuck revealed that Bennington described his struggle as an "hour-by-hour battle with addiction."
Autopsy report confirmed alcohol presence at time of death
The autopsy and toxicology report later confirmed that Bennington had a trace amount of alcohol in his system when he died. He was found with an empty bottle of Stella Artois and a less than half-full glass of Corona in the room. His widow, Talinda Bennington, recognized this as a relapse, stating "I knew instantly that that drink triggered that shame," and "triggered a lifetime of unhealthy neural pathways."
Linkin Park's tribute to Bennington and subsequent return
After Bennington's tragic death, his Linkin Park bandmates shared their heartache and pointed out the "demons" that had shadowed them throughout their journey. They hosted a tribute concert in October 2017, after which they mostly faded from the limelight. But now, Linkin Park is back on stage! They've added Emily Armstrong from Dead Sara as their new co-vocalist and Colin Brittain as the drummer, joining the original lineup of Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix, and Joe Hahn.
