Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst Writes Emotional Letter to Chester Bennington

Fred Durst, the frontman for Limp Bizkit, has joined in the chorus of fans and peers that have shared thoughts on Chester Bennington in the wake of his suicide.

Limp Bizkit were contemporaries of Linkin Park during their heyday. Durst met Bennington when Linkin Park opened for his band while touring in Europe. He was blown away by their talent and saw greatness in Bennington.

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“I remember seeing them on the side of the stage and as were performing, I was thinking to myself, ‘Chester’s voice is going to blow these kids the f–k up.’ ” Durst shared with Variety. “It was a great moment and I’m happy now to have had it.”

Since then, the two musicians became good friends. Bennington left a lasting impression on Durst over the course of their friendship.

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“I can say so many wonderful things about the Chester I knew,” he said. “He had a way of making anyone he spoke to feel heard, understood and significant. His aura and spirit were contagious and empowering. Often those types of people have so much pain and torture inside that the last thing they want is to contaminate or break the spirit of others.”

Durst also opened up about the last time he saw the late singer. He said Bennington had thanked him for helping pave the way for Linkin Park’s success and Durst returned the compliment by telling Bennington their subgenre of rock wouldn’t have been so successful without Linkin Park.

The rest seemed business as usual for the friends, and Durst had no idea of what was to come.

“We laughed and hugged and told jokes as if there would always be a tomorrow for us to meet again,” Durst said. “I want to hug him now and let him know that we all experience our own pain and deal with it our own ways. I know his torture is unique to him, but I would always be here to listen and help in any way I can. But I won’t get that hug and that moment now, which makes me so sad.”

Scroll down to see how Bennington’s bandmates and more of his peers have paid tribute to him.

Linkin Park Members Speak Out About Chester Bennington’s Death

Chester Bennington’s death has shaken the music world since the news broke on Thursday. Now, his Linkin Park bandmates are speaking out about the tragedy.

The band has posted several updates as a group, and Mike Shinoda confirmed the news to fans after it broke. Now, two more members have shared their feelings about the loss.

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Bassist Dave Ferrell spoke out with a tweet with simply one word: “Heartbroken.” He also retweeted a message from Shinoda urging fans to connect with various online fan communities during this difficult time.

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Joe Hahn, the band’s DJ, also spoke out and shared a touching photo of Bennigton performing live.

“Always shining,” he wrote. “I miss my friend.”

As mentioned, Shinoda had previously reached out to fans to confirm the news and shared his brief thoughts.

Scroll through to see his response and more news surrounding Bennington’s passing.

Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Reacts to Bandmate Chester Bennington’s Death

Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was found dead in his California home Thursday morning as a result of what coroners are ruling a suicide, CNN reports.

Since the news broke, Bennington’s friends and fans alike have been reacting to his death on social media, including bandmate Mike Shinoda, who tweeted that he was “shocked and heartbroken.”

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“Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true,” he wrote, confirming Bennington’s death. “An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”

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Shinoda was an original founder of the band in 1996 and produced and co-wrote much of the group’s music.

Linkin Park was set to begin a tour next week, and their latest album, One More Light, was released in May.

Jared Leto Pens Tribute to ‘Absolute Legend’ Chester Bennington

Following the tragic death of Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, actor and 30 Seconds to Mars vocalist Jared Leto has penned a beautiful tribute to the fallen rock star.

Along with a photo of Bennington, Leto wrote, “When I think of Chester I remember his smile… His laughter, intelligence, kindness and talent. That absolutely unforgettable voice that was at once – delicate, ferocious and always full of emotion.”

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He continued, “Witnessing his life taught me a lot. Especially about commitment, about kindness, about hard work, about the pursuit and achievement of dreams and mostly, about love. I know that both his family and his band were a massive source of inspiration and pride for him.

Finally, he said, “It was clear to me that he was deeply grateful for both the people that surrounded him and the life that he had. My heart goes out to his family, friends, band and fans. A tragic loss of an absolute legend. We will miss you.”

Leto’s message is a far-cry for the one written about Bennington from Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch.

Welch took to Facebook after Bennington’s suicide to write, “Honestly, Chester’s an old friend who we’ve hung with many times, and I have friends who are extremely close to him, but this is truly pissing me off! How can these guys send this message to their kids and fans?!”

“I’m sick of this suicide s–t! I’ve battled depression/mental illness, and I’m trying to be sympathetic, but it’s hard when you’re pissed! Enough is enough! Giving up on your kids, fans, and life is the cowardly way out!!!” his message continued.

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He finished, writing, “I’m sorry, I know meds and/or alcohol may have been involved, I’m just processing like all of us and I know we are all having some of the same thoughts/feelings.”

Many people did not take kindly to his seemingly harsh tone, as one commenter wrote, “I have lost whatever respect I had for you,” and another said, “Calling it ‘cowardly’ shows a lack of empathy, understanding and love.”

Eventually, Welch half-backtracked on his statement and posted a separate message, saying, “I didn’t mean to sound insensitive about Chester. Just dealing with a range of emotions today. Love you Chester. I’m pissed that you did this, but I know this could have been me back in the day after getting wasted one night.”

Chester Bennington’s Son Told Him to ‘Love Life’ in Note Weeks Before Singer’s Death

Following the tragic suicide of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington this week, it’s been revealed that more than a month before his death, his son wrote him a sweet note telling him to “love life.”

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In an old post from Bennington’s wife Thalinda’s Twitter account that was shared by Uproxx, Chester’s son Tyler wrote him a note and placed it on his coffee mug.

The note read, “Dad. Enjoy your rehearsal or whatever your doing today. Love life because it’s a ‘[Castle] of Glass’ – Tyler.”

“Castle of Glass” is the title of a Linkin Park song from their 2012 album Living Things.

In addition to this newly discovered post, Bennington’s friend, actor and 30 Seconds to Mars vocalist Jared Leto, has penned a beautiful tribute to the fallen rock star.

Along with a photo of Bennington, Leto wrote, “When I think of Chester I remember his smile… His laughter, intelligence, kindness and talent. That absolutely unforgettable voice that was at once – delicate, ferocious and always full of emotion.”

He continued, “Witnessing his life taught me a lot. Especially about commitment, about kindness, about hard work, about the pursuit and achievement of dreams and mostly, about love. I know that both his family and his band were a massive source of inspiration and pride for him.

Finally, he said, “It was clear to me that he was deeply grateful for both the people that surrounded him and the life that he had. My heart goes out to his family, friends, band and fans. A tragic loss of an absolute legend. We will miss you.”

More: Linkin Park Filmed ‘Carpool Karaoke’ a Week Before Chester Bennington’s Death

It was reported Thursday that Bennington had died after taking his own life in his Los Angeles home.

He had previously dealt with depression and substance abuse issues and even spoke about them in interviews.

In a 2015 interview with Rock Sound, Bennington spoke about his dark times, saying, “I literally hated life and I was like, ‘I don’t want to have feelings. I want to be a sociopath. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to care what other people feel like. I want to feel nothing.’ “

Blink-182 Cancels Tour With Linkin Park After Chester Bennington’s Death

After the news that their singer, Chester Bennington had passed away, Linkin Park canceled their upcoming tour dates, and now Blink 182 has canceled their tour with the band as well.

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The two bands were scheduled to embark on the Welcome to Blinkin Park tour, but in the wake of Bennington’s tragic suicide, the band has decided to forego the tour.

In a statement, the pop-punk band said, “Blink-182 is wrecked by the loss of our friend and amazing musician Chester Bennington. We could never imagine playing blinkin park without his incredible talent and voice. It just would not be possible.”

The message continued, “We send our deepest sympathies to his family, bandmates, friends and fans. Refunds will be available at the point of purchase.”

In addition to this canceled tour, the day after Bennington’s death, Linkin Park decided to cancel the North American leg of their upcoming headlining tour.

Live Nation released a statement saying, “We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chester Bennington. The Linkin Park One More Light North American Tour has been canceled and refunds are available at point of purchase. Our thoughts go out to all those affected.”

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The One More Light tour was set to kick-off in Mansfield, Massachusetts on July 27th, and special guests would have included Machine Gun Kelly, One OK Rock and Snoop Dogg, according to E! News.