Age, Biography, and Wiki
Chester Charles Bennington was born on March 20, 1976, in Phoenix, Arizona. He was the son of a nurse and a police detective specializing in child sexual abuse cases. Bennington's early life was marked by challenges, but he found solace in music, drawing inspiration from bands like Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. Tragically, he passed away on July 20, 2017, at the age of 41.
| Occupation | Metal Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 20 March 1976 |
| Age | 49 Years |
| Birth Place | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 20 July, 2017 |
| Died Place | Palos Verdes Estates, California, U.S. |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific measurements for Chester Bennington are not widely available, he was often noted for his dynamic stage presence and energetic performances.
Bennington was Linkin Park's primary lead vocalist, but he occasionally shared the role with Shinoda. All Music Guide described Bennington's vocals as "higher-pitched" and "emotional", in contrast to Shinoda's hip-hop-style delivery. Both members also worked together to write lyrics for the band's songs.
In 2011, Bennington fell ill again, and Linkin Park was forced to cancel three shows and reschedule two from the A Thousand Suns World Tour. He injured his shoulder during the band's tour in Asia and was advised by doctors to have immediate surgery, canceling their final show at Pensacola Beach, Florida, and ending their tour.
Several publications have commented on the musical legacy Bennington left behind. While describing the success of Bennington and Linkin Park, AllMusic's Andrew Leahey said, "Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the 2000s by welcoming elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica into their music ...focusing as much on the vocal interplay between singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda." Writing for Billboard, Dan Weiss stated that Bennington "turned nu-metal universal", as he was "clearly an important conduit for his far-ranging audience".
The New York Times' Jon Caramanica commented that Bennington's ability to "pair serrated rawness with sleek melody" separated him from other contemporary singers, and also from the artists he was influenced by. Caramanica noted, "He was an emo sympathizer in a time when heavy metal was still setting the agenda for mainstream hard rock, and a hip-hop enthusiast who found ways to make hip-hop-informed music that benefited from his very un-hip-hop skill set." As Bennington acquired influences from industrial and hardcore punk acts, the journalist believed this was the factor that made Linkin Park survive the "rise and precipitous fall of the rap-rock era", calling the musician "a rock music polymath". Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times argued, "Perhaps more than Linkin Park's influential sound, Bennington's real artistic legacy will be the message he put across – the reassurance he offered from the dark."
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Chester Bennington was married three times and had six children. His relationships included marriages to Samantha Olit, Talinda Bentley, and a previous relationship with Elka Brand. He was married to Talinda Bentley at the time of his death.
He had two sisters and an older brother. Bennington took an interest in music at a young age, citing the bands Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots as his earliest inspirations. He dreamed of becoming a member of Stone Temple Pilots, and would later become their lead singer for a time. At age seven, an older male friend sexually abused him. Bennington was afraid to ask for help, not wanting people to think he was gay or a liar, and the abuse continued until age 13. Years later, he revealed the abuser's name to his father but chose not to press charges.
Bennington's parents divorced when he was 11 years old. The abuse and his situation at home affected him so much that he felt the urge to "kill everybody and run away". To comfort himself, Bennington drew pictures and wrote poetry and songs. After the divorce, his father gained custody of him. Bennington started using alcohol, marijuana, opium, cocaine, meth, and LSD. He was bullied in high school, stating in an interview that he was "knocked around like a rag doll at school, for being skinny and looking different". In 1993, at the age of 17, Bennington moved in with his mother. He was banned from leaving the house for a time when she discovered his drug use. He worked at a local Burger King before starting his career as a professional musician.
Bennington had a son, born in 1996, from his relationship with Elka Brand. He married his first wife, Samantha Marie Olit, on October 31, 1996. They had one child together, Draven, born in 2002, who later came out as transgender in 2024. Bennington's relationship with his first wife declined during his early years with Linkin Park, and they divorced in 2005.
After Bennington's death, his widow Talinda Bennington launched a campaign called 320 Changes Direction in honor of her husband to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Samantha Olit (m. 1996-2005) Talinda Bentley (m. 2006) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death, Chester Bennington's net worth was estimated to be approximately $30 million. This figure includes earnings from his music, royalties, and other assets. His music rights alone were valued at $8.1 million, with future royalties estimated at $5 million.
Career, Business, and Investments
Bennington began his music career with bands like Grey Daze and Sean Dowdell and His Friends. His breakthrough came when he joined Linkin Park, and their debut album Hybrid Theory released in 2000 became a massive success, selling over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone. He was an integral part of the band's success, contributing to numerous hit albums and singles, including Meteora, Minutes to Midnight, and A Thousand Suns. Bennington also pursued side projects, such as his work with the band Stone Temple Pilots and his solo endeavors.
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer who was the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, and Stone Temple Pilots at various points in his career.
Bennington first gained prominence as a vocalist following the release of Linkin Park's debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which was a worldwide commercial success. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005, making it the bestselling debut album of the decade, as well as one of the few albums ever to achieve that many sales. He continued as the band's lead vocalist for their next six studio albums, from Meteora (2003) to One More Light (2017), with each charting within the top three spots of the Billboard 200.
Bennington had been frustrated and nearly quit his musical career altogether until Jeff Blue, the vice president of A&R at Zomba Music in Los Angeles, offered him an audition with the future members of Linkin Park (then known as Xero). He quit his day job at a digital services firm and traveled to California for the audition, in which he successfully won a place in the band. He left his own birthday party early to record his audition. Bennington and Mike Shinoda, the band's other vocalist, made significant progress together but failed to find a record deal and faced numerous rejections. Blue, who had since become vice president of A&R at Warner Records, intervened again to help the band sign with the label.
Bennington was described as being a "warm tenor", with his voice showing "tremendous durability" for the entirety of his career. Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone wrote, "Bennington's voice embodied the anguish and wide-ranging emotions of the lyrics, from capturing life's vulnerable moments to the fury and catharsis found in his belted screams, which he would often move between at the turn of a dime."
In a January 2011 interview, in response to the 2011 Tucson shooting, Bennington said, "There's a non-violent way to express yourself and get your point across – regardless of what you're saying or what your point is. In a free society, people have a right to believe whatever they want to believe. That's their business and they can speak their mind. But nobody, even in a free society, has the right to take another person's life. Ever. That's something that we really need to move beyond."
Bennington made a cameo appearance in the 2006 film Crank as a customer in a pharmacy. He later appeared as a horse-track spectator in the film's 2009 sequel, Crank: High Voltage. Bennington also played the role of the ill-fated racist Evan in the 2010 film Saw 3D. He was one of several rock musicians who spoke about the industry in Jared Leto's 2012 documentary, Artifact.
Social Network
Although Bennington is no longer active on social networks, his legacy continues to inspire fans worldwide. His impact on the music scene remains significant, with Linkin Park's and his solo works continuing to influence new generations of musicians and fans.
Bennington first began singing with a band called Sean Dowdell and His Friends?, and together they released an eponymous three-track cassette in 1993. Later, Dowdell and Bennington moved on to form a post-grunge band called Grey Daze. The band recorded a demo in 1993 and two albums: Wake Me in 1994, and ...No Sun Today in 1997. Bennington left Grey Daze in 1998.
On October 24, 2000, Linkin Park released their debut album, Hybrid Theory, through Warner Records. Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to Hybrid Theory based on some early material. Shinoda characterized the lyrics as interpretations of universal feelings, emotions, and experiences, and as "everyday emotions you talk about and think about". Bennington later described the songwriting experience to Rolling Stone magazine in early 2002, "It's easy to fall into that thing – 'poor, poor me', that's where songs like 'Crawling' come from: I can't take myself. But that song is about taking responsibility for your actions. I don't say 'you' at any point. It's about how I'm the reason that I feel this way. There's something inside me that pulls me down."
Bennington reflected on joining Stone Temple Pilots, stating, "Every band has its own kind of vibe. Stone Temple Pilots has this sexier, more classic rock feel to it. Linkin Park is a very modern, very tech-heavy type of band. I grew up listening to these guys. When this opportunity came up, it was just like a no-brainer." Bennington stated in interviews that singing lead vocals in Stone Temple Pilots was his lifelong dream. He left the band on good terms due to his commitments with Linkin Park in 2015 and was replaced two years later by Jeff Gutt.
Cornell died by suicide on May 18, 2017. Bennington wrote an open letter to Cornell on Instagram, stating that he could not imagine a world without Cornell in it. Shinoda noted that Bennington was very emotional when the band performed "One More Light" in Cornell's honor on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Bennington could not finish singing the song during rehearsal due to this. The band was due to record a live performance of their single "Heavy" on the show, but Bennington decided instead to play "One More Light" after hearing the news about Cornell's death.
During an interview with Zane Lowe in 2024, Bennington's successor in Linkin Park, Emily Armstrong, called the band's debut album Hybrid Theory her favorite album and specifically cited Bennington's performance in the song "One Step Closer" as her inspiration to be a singer, commenting, "That was the moment I was like, 'I want to sing and scream', you know? 'One Step Closer', I was like, 'I could do that'. At the time I wasn't even a good singer. I was a guitar player in a band, you know? . . . And obviously, on the side of the feelings and the emotions of it, like, I would love to do him proud."
Education
Details about Chester Bennington's formal education are not extensively documented, but his passion for music led him to pursue it as a career from a young age.
In summary, Chester Bennington's life was marked by both personal struggles and professional triumphs, leaving behind a lasting impact on the music industry and a substantial legacy for his family.
Bennington was a tattoo enthusiast. He had done work and promotions with Club Tattoo, a tattoo parlor in Tempe, Arizona. Club Tattoo is owned by Sean Dowdell, Bennington's friend since high school with whom he played in two bands.
