LOS ANGELES — Chester Bennington, the nu-metal singer of Linkin Park fame, was found dead of an apparent suicide on Thursday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. He was 41.
Bennington's body was discovered before 9 a.m. (noon ET) at a home in Palos Verdes Estates, just outside Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner's office said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said Bennington appeared to have hanged himself.
Bennington rose to prominence with Linkin Park, which hit it big in 2000 with its debut album, "Hybrid Theory." Riding on a nu-metal wave that blended rap, metal and electronic music, it sold more than 10 million albums and earned a certified diamond rating from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed Bennington's death on Twitter.
Bennington is also famed for fronting Stone Temple Pilots from 2014 to 2016 while continuing to produce records with Linkin Park. He has also collaborated with artists such as Jay-Z, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco and Steve Aoki.
According to a 2014 interview with Metal Hammer, Bennington grew up in Phoenix and had a tough childhood. He was the son of a police officer, and his parents divorced when he was young. He also was molested as a young child by an older friend, which he said shattered his self-confidence.
He would go on to struggle with drugs and alcohol throughout his life, Bennington told Metal Hammer.
"After everything I've been through to get here, I'm in the best place I could possibly be," Bennington told the magazine once he'd gotten sober.
The frontman's suicide coincides with Chris Cornell's birthday, a close friend of Bennington's and lead singer of Soundgarden, who killed himself in May. Bennington sang "Hallelujah" at Cornell's funeral.
Bennington was in the midst of a tour with Linkin Park and was scheduled to play Citi Field in New York City with Blink 182 next week in support of Linkin Park's new album, "One More Light." The band was then scheduled to go on tour with Machine Gun Kelly and Snoop Dogg through October.
Linkin Park released "One More Light" in May, and it was met with middling reviews for its stark departure from the band's original nu-metal sound, which combined elements of heavy metal with strands of other genres, like hip hop, alt rock and grunge. Many reviewers described the album as commercial pop and noted the absence of Bennington's famed scream.
Friends and fans were heartbroken by the news and remembered Bennington fondly.
Phil McCausland reported from New York City. Andrew Blankstein reported from Los Angeles.
