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Chester Bennington was a role model to an entire generation of people wanting to believe in themselves. Through his powerful lyrics and emotional performances, he was one of the few musicians who was able to connect with his audience on a deeper level. Those struggling with their mental health and having episodes of self-doubt would turn to Linkin Park in hopes of relief, which they would get.
However, our world came crashing down when in 2017 it was revealed that he had committed suicide at the age of 41. The man who helped us deal with tough times was gone. In one of his interviews from before his death, Chester Bennington opened up about his battle with depression, his words causing a pang in our chests even today.
Chester Bennington’s Struggle with Depression
It’s 2024 and the taboo surrounding mental health is being broken slowly but surely. Popular figures in the entertainment industry are no longer hesitant when it comes to sharing their experiences with their fans and this allows fans to approach their own mental health with an open mind.
Chester Benningtonwas one of these celebrities who openly addressed the battles he was fighting on his own. In February 2017, Linkin Park dropped their song,Heavy,and the title perfectly sums up its lyrics.
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The chorus goes,“If I just let go, I’d be set free.”Talking about the inspiration behind these lyrics, Bennington opened up about his struggles to iHeartRadio’s 102.7 KIIS-FM (viaBlabbermouth.net).
I don’t know if anybody out there can relate, but I have a hard time with life… sometimes. Sometimes it’s great, but a lot of times for me, it’s really hard. And no matter how I’m feeling, I always find myself struggling with certain patterns of behavior.
He talked about being stuck in a constant loop of negative thoughts and what it’s like to finally break free from the cycle.
I find myself stuck in the same thing that keeps repeating over and over again, and I’m just, like, ‘How did I end up…? How am I in this?’ And it’s that moment where you’re in it and then you can just separate yourself from that situation and you look at it and you see it for what it is and you’re able to then do something about it; you’ve now broken out of that circle, that cycle.
He couldn’t have said it better. Talking about these things can make all the difference in the world for anyone listening and Bennington did make a difference. He was more than just the lead singer of Linkin Park; he was a guiding light for an entire generation searching for hope and self-belief.
Chester Bennington on Being Stuck in a “Bad Neighborhood”
The“bad neighborhood”that Bennington was in didn’t have a postal code or an address. Why? Because the bad neighborhood was nothing but his own mind, a place where he was so afraid to be by himself.
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During the interview, he repeated again and again that his headspace was insane and a bad place to be in.
I know that for me, when I’m inside myself, when I’m in my own head, it gets… This place right here [points to his head], this skull between my ears, that is a bad neighborhood, and I should not be in there alone,” he continued. “I can’t be in there by myself. It’s insane! It’s crazy in here. This is a bad place for me to be by myself. And so when I’m in that, my whole life gets thrown off.
Like many struggling with depression, Bennington too dealt with self-deprecating behavior. He stated that when he was all alone, all by himself, made him a mess.
If I’m in there, I don’t say nice things to myself. There’s another Chester in there that wants to take me down. And I find that, it could be… whether it’s substances or whether it’s behavior or whether it’s depressive stuff…If I’m inside all the time, I’m horrible — I’m a mess.
These were the feelings that gave birth to the lyrics, “I don’t like my mind right now / Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary / Wish that I could slow things down.”
On the other hand, he felt that being outside with other people and throwing himself into distractions helped him tremendously. Whether it was helping other people out, working withLinkin Park, or being a family man, these were the things that proved to be an escape for Bennington from his mind.
Bennington was found dead on August 12, 2025, at his home. His death was confirmed to be a suicide.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
