Chester Bennington Tributes Continue To Pour In — From Jared Leto to Jay-Z
Chester Bennington’s death has left a huge void in the music world. The late Linkin Park frontman is being remembered by fans and friends as well as fellow musicians as they pay tribute to him during their concerts. Bennington was found dead at age 41 after hanging himself in the bedroom of his Los Angeles area home.
After news of Chester Bennington’s death was announced, Oscar winner and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto posted a photo of Bennington to Instagram, remembering his “laughter, intelligence, kindness and talent. ” Leto also revealed that his late friend was devoted to his family and his band and they were “a massive source of inspiration and pride for him.” Leto described Chester Bennington as “an absolute legend.”
Leto took his tribute to Bennington a step further, by performing a song in his late friend’s honor. During a Thirty Seconds to Mars concert at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, Leto performed acoustic versions of the songs “Alibi” and “The Kill” after giving an emotional speech about his friendship with Bennington. Chester Bennington and Jared Leto were such good friends that the late Linkin Park frontman once joked to Kerrang magazine that his wife, Talinda Ann Bentley, routinely referred to Leto as his “boyfriend.”
Read Jared Leto's emotional tribute to Linkin Park's Chester Bennington: https://t.co/4N94jW8HXC pic.twitter.com/El0ZyUQ0Cq
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) July 23, 2017
Thirty Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park toured together in 2014 as part of the Carnivores Tour, and Leto and Bennington remained close friends until the Linkin Park frontman’s death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j4MiIP1Vm8&t=153s
In addition to Jared Let’s tribute to Chester Bennington, many artists have paid homage to the late Linkin Park singer during their concert performances, including Good Charlotte, Blink 182, Aaron Lewis, Korn, and Fergie, who delivered a surprising performance of Linkin Park’s 2000 breakout hit, “Crawling,” at the North Dakota State Fair.
Rapper Jay-Z, who previously collaborated with Linkin Park for the 2004 EP Collision Course, spawning the hit single “Numb/Encore,” hasn’t directly spoken out about the death of his late collaborator, but many fans are posting links to a rare concert performance Jay-Z had with Chester and Linkin Park back in the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHWkVJ7k4do
A post to Jay-Z’s official Tidal Twitter page reads: “We’re heartbroken to hear about the passing of @LinkinPark‘s Chester Bennington. Heartfelt condolences to his family. #RIP.”
[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]
