Linkin Park's Chester Bennington's wife breaks silence

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington's wife breaks silence





The wife of late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington has broken her silence a week after his shocking suicide, saying they lived a fairytale life and her soul is now shattered.

Talinda Bennington, who was married to the 41-year-old rocker for 12 years, said she was feeling the love from Chester's fans but was also feeling the loss.

'One week ago, I lost my soulmate and my children lost their hero - their Daddy. We had a fairytale life and now it has turned into some sick Shakespearean tragedy,' the 40-year-old model said in a statement.

'How do I move on? How do I pick up my shattered soul?



'The only answer I know is to raise our babies with every ounce of love I have left.'

Bennington hanged himself from a bedroom door in his home near Los Angeles last week. His family were out of state at the time and he was found by his housekeeper.



Chester shared three children with Talinda. He had three other children from a previous relationship.

Talinda said she knows his fans, family and friends would 'help keep (Chester's) memory alive.'

'He was a bright, loving soul with an angel's voice. And now he is pain free, singing his songs in all of our hearts,' she said.

'May God bless us all and help us turn to one another when we are in pain. Chester would've wanted us to do so. Rest In Peace, my love.'

Bennington was found dead on what would have been the 53rd birthday of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who hanged himself in May.

The two were friends and Bennington was the godfather to Cornell's 11-year-old son, Chris.

Investigators are awaiting toxicology reports to determine if Bennington ingested any substances before he hanged himself.

But investigators found no illegal substances or prescription drugs while searching Bennington's home, according to TMZ.  

Following Bennington's death, Linkin Park announced it would cancel its tour, which would have begun this week.



Linkin Park rose to fame after releasing its debut album, 'Hybrid Theory,' in 2000. It sold more than 10 million albums. The band went on to become one of music's top-selling acts and won accolades that included Grammy Awards.

The band wrote a heartbreaking letter to the late rocker last week, saying it was his 'demons' that had made fans fall in love with the band.

His bandmates - Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn and Rob Bourdon - thanked fans for the outpouring of support both they and Chester's wife Talinda and his six children have received since his tragic death.



'Our hearts are broken. The shockwaves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened,' they wrote.

'You touched so many lives, maybe even more than you realized. In the past few days, we've seen an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world.

'Talinda and the family appreciate it, and want the world to know that you were the best husband, son, and father; the family will never be whole without you.



'Talking with you about the years ahead together, your excitement was infectious. Your absence leaves a void that can never be filled - a boisterous, funny, ambitious, creative, kind, generous voice in the room is missing.'

Prior to his death, Chester had spoken openly about his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, depression and being abused as a child.

His bandmates said they understood his 'demons' were always a part of him and something that made the group more 'human'.

'We're trying to remind ourselves that the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal. After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place,' they wrote.

'You fearlessly put them on display, and in doing so, brought us together and taught us to be more human. You had the biggest heart, and managed to wear it on your sleeve.'

'Our love for making and performing music is inextinguishable. While we don't know what path our future may take, we know that each of our lives was made better by you. Thank you for that gift. We love you, and miss you so much,' they wrote.

'Until we see you again, LP.'

The frontman had been open about his history of substance abuse and admitted in one interview in 2011 that he had once been a 'full blown, raging alcoholic'.

He went to rehab for his drug and alcohol addiction after marrying his second wife Talinda in 2005 and said he really began to change in 2007.

In a 2011 interview, he said he was sober: 'I don't drink. I choose to be sober now. I have drunk over the last six years, but I just don't want to be that person anymore.'

Linkin Park's sixth and latest album, One More Light, jumped to the top of the Billboard chart when it was released in May.