I Don't Want To Remember Chester As He Died. I Want To Remember Him As He Lived
#RIPChester. :'(
By Samantha Khor — 21 Jul 2017, 06:45 PM
This is, without a doubt, the most difficult story I've ever written
I woke up this morning to the truly devastating news that Chester Bennington - frontman of Linkin Park and a constant figurehead in my rebellious teenage years - had passed away. I didn't want to believe it. I was in denial, convinced that it's just one of those celebrity death hoaxes.
Then came the #RIPChester tweets, Mike Shinoda confirming that's it's true, and all these reports that he'd committed suicide. I was gutted. I never thought a celebrity's death would hit me this hard. Every headline that highlighted his suicide, every "Here's What We Know So Far" pierces through my heart every time it pops up on my feed.
You see, I don't want to remember him as he died. I don't want his legacy to be defined by HOW he died.
I want to remember him as he lived, as the man who shared his raw talent and incomparable voice with the world
I want to remember him as the man who wrote and sang the words that resonated with millions of people and made them feel like they weren't alone
I want to remember him as the man who wasn't ashamed of his turbulent past, who spoke openly about his internal battles and how he fought to overcome them
Having revealed that he was sexually abused in his childhood, Bennington would not only battle the depression and anxiety that resulted from that period in his life, he'd also turned to drugs and alcohol to deal with the effects from the abuse.
In recent years, he'd maintained his sobriety after cleaning up his act before the release of 2007's 'Minutes to Midnight' following an intervention by his Linkin Park bandmates.
I want to remember him as this fun-loving guy with a quirky sense of humour that I may only get to see in snapshots, but that's more than enough
I want to remember him as a man who was dearly loved by his family, and whom he deeply loved in return
And last but not least, I want to remember him as a man who urged others to fight on... even as he might be battling his own demons
Thank you for the music, Chester. You will be deeply missed by all of us. #RIPChester
