Chester Bennington's Widow Honors Late Linkin Park Star on His 45th Birthday

Talinda Bennington, the widow of the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, shared a video of Chester dancing with their son Tyler in honor of what would have been his 45th birthday.

By Kaitlin Reilly Mar 21, 2021 5:10 PMTags
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Talinda Bennington paid tribute to her late husband Chester Bennington in honor of what would have been the Linkin Park singer's 45th birthday. 

In a March 20 Instagram post, Talinda—who married Chester in 2006 and shares three children with him—wrote an emotional message to Chester and shared a video of her late husband dancing with their son Tyler, now 15. 

"Happy Birthday," she began the post. "You would have been 45 and yes, Tyler would have you doing this dance again! This life without you never gets easier or less painful. We miss you dearly. We will celebrate you in so many ways today....Tyler teaching the girls and I this dance will be just one. We love you forever." 

Chester, who spoke candidly about his battle with mental illness and depression, died by suicide in July of 2017. His death shook the rock community, especially as it came on the birthday of Chester's close friend, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, who also died by suicide just two months prior.

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Following Chester's passing, his former bandmates Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell and Joe Hahn launched a suicide prevention site and Music for Relief fundraiser in the artist's name. 

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

At the time of Chester's death, Talinda said in a statement to E! News, "I lost my soul mate and my children lost their hero—their Daddy. We had a fairytale life and now it has turned into some sick Shakespearean tragedy. 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."

 

She continued, "I want to let my community and the fans worldwide know that we feel your love. We feel your loss as well. My babies are so young to have lost their daddy. And I know that all of you will help keep his memory alive."

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.