As Linkin Park teases a revival , fans remember Chester Bennington's suicide which left a hefty will behind.
The lead singer of the band, who took his own life 2017, left $30 million behind which was divided up among loved ones. Chester was survived by his wife and six children with the most assets heading straight to Talinda's account. She also retained the rights to his musical interests. The pair held a trust, the Chester and Talinda Bennington Family Trust, together which received some of the assets, too.
Despite the name of the trust, it lists all his children as beneficiaries even though only three of the kids are Talinda's. Chester's other three children come from previous relationships.
Plus, he made a sweet, emotional last request for his family, according to documents obtained by TMZ . Mindful of the split family, the will said: "I request that my children’s mothers or Guardians encourage and allow my children to visit with one another and with my extended family and the extended family of my Spouse on a regular and ongoing basis, so that my children know that they have a large and loving family."
To ensure this was possible, Chester even set aside some money that was meant specifically for the logistics of keeping these children connected. However, the sweet gestures in the will turned sour after a legal dispute raged.
Samantha Bennington, the singer's ex-wife, demanded the royalties and child support in relation to the one son that they held together. She first found the child support withdrawn in June 2019. The executor of the will, Talinda, later granted her the royalties claim which included a share of the non-touring merch, publishing rights, and a share of the master sound records, according to TMZ . Her claim reportedly hashed out to about $502,500.
After his death, Samantha opened up about the collapse of their marriage in her memoir. She wrote: "When Chester and I first divorced I was fearful of getting that 'phone call.' You know, the one you get when a celebrity overdoses. I’m super spiritual so I always prayed, meditated, and cleared the negative energy for Chester, Draven, and me."
Despite his struggles, Chester's death came as a shock to many. The star struggled throughout life with depression and substance abuse, but ultimately took his life by hanging. Before his death, his widow "thought everything was OK," according to CNN . She said: "We were on a family vacation, and he decided to go back home to do a television commercial. This was not a time where we or any of our family suspected this to happen, which is terrifying."
Talinda became an advocate for mental health She stressed: “If we can find good coping mechanisms, if we have people we trust that we can talk to, that helps us to make better choices for ourselves and my husband didn’t have that in a lot of situations.”
If in the United States, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to http://SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
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