Chester Bennington’s widow, Talinda Bennington has set the record straight on her new wedding date. Over the weekend, it was reported that she remarried on New Year’s Day — her wedding anniversary with Bennington. However, in a new social media post, she clarified that she and her new husband, Michael Fredman, were married on Jan. 4.
Talinda married Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington on Jan. 1, 2005, and they were together until his tragic passing in 2017. She started this year off by remarrying, but not on her previous anniversary, as some reports claimed. Instead, she and Fredman said their vows on Jan. 4 in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Talinda was not pleased by the need to explain her new wedding date on Sunday. The model has been juggling her grief with other mixed emotions for over two years now, and she has worked tirelessly to honor Bennington’s memory. She did not appreciate any insinuation that she was disrespecting him with her new wedding.
“With joy and love I want to set something straight. ON JANUARY 4th, I wed a wonderful man, great friend, and son this weekend. We celebrated with all of our family and friends on the beautiful island of O’ahu,” she wrote.
“The day we chose was a day of meaning, in many different ways. My anniversary with my love, Chester, JAN 1 Was NOT THE [DATE],” she continued. “Jan 1st will always be the day I married Chester. I would never paint over that beautiful day with anything else.”
Talinda kept comments disabled on her new post, not looking for responses. However, some fans chimed in on her next post with kind words, or even apologies for their emotional reactions to her story.
My anniversary w/Chester, wasn’t my new wedding date.Jan 1st will always be the day I married Chester. I would never paint over that day with anything https://t.co/5wWYroXDne the tabloids who ran a false story, inciting misguided anger & pain,I ask you FOR WHAT?? To make money ??
— Talinda Bennington (@TalindaB) January 5, 2020
“Talinda I owe you a huge apology. When I first heard about you finding love again I was really really upset,” one fan confessed. “I didn’t bother to think about you at all and that’s not the person I want to be. So I’m really sorry. Congrats beautiful lady! You have soooo many people standing with you.”
“Thank you for your apology. I really appreciate it,” Talinda replied with a heart emoji.
Meanwhile, Talinda’s work as a mental health care advocate speaks for itself, and honors the legacy of Bennington and his music in its own right. Talinda has traveled the world to help organize and speak at events related to mental health advocacy, access to treatment and depictions of mental health issues in the media.
In addition to working with the World Health Organization and other prominent causes, Talinda is a founding partner and executive advisor for 320 Changes Direction, a fundraising campaign aimed at raising awareness, destigmatizing mental health issues and funding access to the treatment many people need.
“Here is what I learned. We don’t need to create more programs – there are good ones out there,” Talinda wrote on the 320 Changes Direction website. “But we do need to do two things. We need to streamline access to the help that IS available. And we need to change the culture of mental health so that those in need – and their family members – are able to speak openly about their struggles so that they can seek the care they deserve.”
This spring, Talinda is taking 320 Changes Direction to the next level with a music festival in her husband’s honor. The 320 Festival is scheduled for May 9, 2020 at the L.A. Live Complex.
