Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington's death was felt around the world, and a rare home video from the days leading up to his passing makes it all the more heartbreaking.
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00:00I either got rotten egg or something else."
00:03"...three, two, one, go."
00:08Few musicians touched the hearts of the public in recent generations the way Chester Bennington
00:13did, and his death by suicide on July 20, 2017, came as a tragic shock.
00:18In the weeks and months following Bennington's death, his wife Talinda Bennington tweeted
00:22highly personal posts on X commemorating her husband. She used many of these posts to encourage
00:27readers to support each other and reach out if they need help, often posting the numbers
00:31for suicide prevention hotlines for countries around the world. To drive home the point
00:35about suicide prevention, she also posted a video from the days leading up to Chester's
00:39death. The clip shows him smiling and laughing as he plays with his son Tyler, one of his
00:43twin daughters, and a family friend. Dating to September 16, 2017, Talinda posted the
00:49video shortly after publishing a warning on Twitter that read,
00:52"'My next tweet is the most personal tweet I have ever done. I'm showing this so that
00:56you know that depression doesn't have a face or a mood."
00:58In the tweet that followed, Talinda wrote that the video was filmed around 36 hours
01:02before Chester's death. In it, he can be seen in a living room playing Bean Boozled,
01:06a game of chance where players risk eating disgusting jelly beans. And while he might
01:11not look thrilled with the flavor of bean he wound up with, he's clearly enjoying the
01:15time with his family. In addition to this video, Talinda posted photos and other videos
01:19leading up to his final days. In each one, Chester looks to be in good spirits.
01:23"'He was at his best before he passed. We were on a family vacation, and he just had
01:26to go back home to do a television commercial, and I was gonna see him the next day."
01:32In one image posted to X, Talinda shared a photo of Chester and their kids standing on
01:36a porch at a beach house, under the shot of them looking out and laughing. She wrote the
01:40caption,
01:41"'This was days before my husband took his own life. Suicidal thoughts were there,
01:45but you'd never know.'"
01:46There's also a video on X that Talinda took from the Lincoln Park stage, where Chester
01:50is singing and walking toward her during a show. He smiles at her, turns to the audience,
01:54and continues the performance. All in all, the photos and videos of Chester's final days
01:58reveal a person who is exactly what so many people said he was — kind-hearted, caring,
02:03and sensitive. One year after his death, Talinda spoke to Kerrang! about his character. She said,
02:08"'He was the best father, friend, and husband anyone could have. He was so special to me
02:13because he was a present and loving father to our babies and the most romantic and loving
02:17husband a woman could ever dream of.'"
02:19Judging by the response to Chester's death and the ongoing period of mourning for many
02:22Lincoln Park fans, many others could see the kindness that Talinda saw every day.
02:26Chester's final video offers a glimpse into that world. Despite the immense tragedy of
02:31Chester's death, Talinda continues to use her platform to speak out about suicide prevention
02:36and offer resources for those struggling with mental health. In doing so, she ensured her
02:40late husband didn't just leave behind his voice on powerful tracks like Breaking the
02:44Habit, In the End, and Numb. More than that, he became a beacon of support for others dealing
02:49with substance abuse, depression, and related mental health, and possibly a source of
02:53encouragement to reach out for help. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis,
02:58help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988LIFELINE.ORG.