Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Bennington passes away at 41

Linkin Park’s lead singer Chester Bennington’s sudden untimely death has shocked all. At the age of 41, the singer is suspected of having committed suicide. The rock band, formed in 1996, sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy awards. 

Having inspired many people, the singer himself couldn’t sail through a difficult period of his life, shares saxophonist Abhay Sharma. He says, “They were one of the last recognised rock bands. Post Linkin Park, we didn’t really have modern bands of this kind. Linkin Park brought in a lot of new elements and their lyrics brought solace to many people. They definitely lifted our spirits.”

While Linkin Park’s music might have sailed a lot of people through a lot of tough times, it wasn’t able to help the lead singer, whose death is being mourned by fans across the world. 

Talking about the pressures that come with being a musician, he adds, “A lot of times we do not understand that happiness of musicians is inversely proportional to their age. Musicians are understood when they are young and probably in college but as they grow older, people around them get busy with their lives and nothing about the new people around them might feel inspiring. They might not find a good outlet for their emotions and they tend to get really depressed. When music becomes mere entertainment for others, that too is disheartening for a musician or a singer.” 

Raghav Dang, of the musical band Reggae Rajahs, was shocked to hear about the death of the popular singer. He says, “Musicians and singers face the same amount of pressure as any one else. But not all are pushed to the edge. There are so many great musicians still alive today. I am really shocked to hear about Chester though. Maybe he felt he had left his mark here and moved on to a better place. Growing up as a teenager, their music was the soundtrack to my life.”

Abhay, on the other hand, says that there are additional pressures faced by singers and musicians. “There are other things like a record label, that you might have signed with, that might not really allow you to stick to your lyrics and demand happier lyrics. All these frustrations can also lead to anger. There is also a lot of substance abuse. Music after all comes out of deep emotions and musicians happen to be moody folk. One side is their projection of themselves, the way they want to be perceived, and the other is the real side which leads to music as well and this is especially true for rock and metal musicians. If a singer or musician is only hanging out with other musicians, things can get really tough.” 

However, playback singer Harshdeep Kaur believes that no matter what one is going through, one must seek help as soon as possible. “I think it’s really heartbreaking to see such things happen. Chester was such a great artist and this is a huge loss to the industry. To give up one’s life is a very sad thing, we don’t know what Chester was going through. I feel it is important to surround ourselves with family. I feel it is important to understand that nothing is more important than your life. Music is a part of life and it can’t become more important than one’s life. Sometimes, it is important to see it as mere work.”