Chester Bennington tragically lost his life to suicide on 20 July 2017, aged just 41 years old.
The loss of the Linkin Park singer – who was born on 20th March 1976. – still reverberates around the world, with his fans paying tribute to the frontman seven years on.
Shortly after his passing, Bennington’s isolated vocals began being shared, especially those of the chillingly apt Heavy single, which featured Kiiara and was taken from the band’s 2017 One More Light album.
Listen to his spine-chilling, stripped back and honest vocals above.
The late Linkin Park frontman performing in 2014
The late Linkin Park frontman performing in 2014. Picture: Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images
If there’s ever an isolated vocal of the late rocker that garners the most attention, it’s his stunning performance on Numb.
The 2003 song was already incredibly moving, but its heartbreaking lyrics became even more poignant after the singer’s passing.
Listen to Chester Bennington’s isolated vocals on the Meteora single here:
Last but not least, One More Light – which was released from the album of the same name on 3 October 2017 – sees the Linkin Park rocker sing a heartbreaking and poignant swan song to his fans.
Once again, the song’s subject matter is just as haunting as his vocals, as the frontman sings: “Who cares if one more light goes out? Well, I do.”
Who cares if one more light goes out?/ In the sky of a million stars/ It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone’s time runs out?/If a moment is all we are/ We’re quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?/ Well I do
– Chester Bennington – Linkin Park
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The singer and songwriter battled with drink and drug abuse over the years and he wrote lyrics and poetry to cope with sexual abuse that took place in his childhood.
He told The Guardian in 2011: “I remember that stuff happening to me at that stage and even thinking about it now makes me want to cry. My God, no wonder I became a drug addict. No wonder I just went completely insane for a little while.”
The pain and anguish found their way into his lyrics, and it was this brutal honesty that made the band’s music so appealing to millions.
