Korn Guitarist Clarifies Chester Bennington ‘Cowardly’ Comments

Shortly after news emerged that Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington had committed suicide, Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch called him “cowardly” in a Facebook post. Now, Welch has attempted to clarify his statements.

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In a video he posted on his Facebook page, Welch expressed his feelings, saying, “I got mad, and sad, and grieving. I know everybody is…I just don’t want it to happen anymore.”

He then explained that Chris Cornell’s suicide in May had affected him and he was still reeling from those emotions when he found out about Bennington’s death, which is what lead him to lash out.

“Chris Cornell’s death hit me.” “[As I’m] getting over that and I wake up to hear an old friend did the same thing. It shocked me,” the rocker said.

He also expressed sadness for Bennington’s family, saying, “Chester was so nice. I hurt for his kids.”

Lastly, Welch opened up about his past mental health struggles, saying, “Mental illness is severe, and I’ve been through it.” He then encouraged his viewers to seek help, saying, “Do anything you gotta do to get past those feelings.”

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In his previous Facebook post, Welch wrote, “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.

He then said, “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.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Gregg DeGuire

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.”

More: Linkin Park Lead Singer Chester Bennington Has Reportedly Died by Suicide at 41

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.

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

Following the tragic suicide of 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, his 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.”

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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.

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 forgo 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.

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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.”

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

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.”