Tragic rocker Chester Bennington had consumed alcohol and taken ecstasy in the lead up to his suicide, coroners have found.
The Linkin Park frontman was discovered unresponsive at his Palos Verdes Estates home in California on 20 July (17), and officials subsequently ruled the 41-year-old had died by hanging.
Now toxicology results, obtained by TMZ.com, have revealed Chester had suffered a setback in his sobriety before ending his life as he had a small amount of booze in his system, as well as psychoactive drug ecstasy.
The paperwork notes authorities had found a bottle of prescription sedative Zolpidem in his bedroom, along with an empty bottle of Stella Artois beer, and a pint glass which was less than half full of Corona.
There were also signs Chester, who battled depression for years, had suffered from anxiety in the hours before his death due to the pieces of fingernail found under his cell phone and on a bedroom table.
According to the musician’s widow Talinda, he often bit his nails when he was anxious.
Chester had reportedly been sober for six months prior to his suicide, which occurred more than a year after Talinda claimed he quit taking anti-depressants prescribed to help with his depression.
The sad news emerges weeks after Talinda joined Bennington’s Linkin Park bandmates at a special memorial show in Los Angeles on 27 October (17), when fellow rockers blink-182, System Of A Down, and Korn’s Jonathan Davis also performed in tribute to Chester.
During the Hollywood Bowl event, the singer’s widow thanked fans for their immense show of support in the weeks since his death, and urged them to help tackle mental health as a nod to Bennington.
“He was incredibly proud of the music done through relief, he knew it saved lives,” she explained. “And saving lives is exactly what we plan to do in Chester’s memory.
“It is time that we recognise that mental health is as important as our physical health. It is my mission to make it easier, to have access to mental health resources.”
All proceeds from the show were donated to Music for Relief’s One More Light Fund, which was established in memory of Bennington.
