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Chester Bennington, Lead Singer Of Linkin Park, Dead At 41

Bennington reportedly died by suicide

UPDATE (7/21/17, 3:30 p.m. ET): The Los Angeles county coroner has confirmed that Chester Bennington hanged himself, and that an autopsy has not been scheduled yet.

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Chester Bennington, the lead singer of alt-metal band Linkin Park, has died by suicide, The Associated Press confirms.

Law enforcement officials told TMZ that the singer's body was found just before 9 a.m. on Thursday (July 20) at his home in Los Angeles.

Shortly after reports of Bennington's death broke, fellow Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda confirmed the news on Twitter. "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true," he wrote. "An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."

Linkin Park bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, simply added, "Heartbroken."

Bennington struggled with drug and alcohol addictions at various times during his life. He leaves behind six children from two marriages.

The singer was a close friend of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell — who also committed suicide in May — and even performed at his funeral. Bennington’s body was found on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.

Since Linkin Park's debut nearly 20 years ago, the band became one of the biggest rock/nu-metal bands in the world. Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, was the best-selling album of the 2000s, and its follow-up, 2003's Meteora, spawned hits like "Numb" and "Breaking the Habit." The band also collaborated with Jay-Z on the hit 2004 mash-up album Collision Course.

Linkin Park resurfaced in 2017 after a three-year hiatus for One More Light, which topped the Billboard 200 and became the band's fifth No. 1 album. At the time of Bennington's death, they were in between legs of a world tour in support of the album, and were scheduled to kick off a 29-date North American trek next week.

Earlier today, the band released a new music video for One More Light single "Talking to Myself." Linkin Park has posted a wordless tribute to Chester Bennington on its social media accounts. The photo shows the late singer surrounded by fans at an arena concert.

The CEO and Chairman of Warner Bros. Records, Linkin Park's current label, has issued a statement about Bennington's death. "Chester Bennington was an artist of extraordinary talent and charisma, and a human being with a huge heart and a caring soul," Cameron Strang said in a statement provided to MTV News. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his beautiful family, his bandmates and his many friends. All of us at WBR join with millions of grieving fans around the world in saying: We love you Chester and you will be forever missed."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, there are ways to get help. Find resources at www.halfofus.com or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK for a confidential conversation.

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