Chester Bennington, lead singer of American rock band Linkin Park, has died.
Hollywood news site TMZ was first to report he was found dead on Thursday morning (US time) in an apparent suicide at a residence in Los Angeles, according to local police. The report was later confirmed by CBS News.
The 41-year-old leaves behind six children from two marriages, and his present wife, Talinda Ann Bentley.
Bandmate Mike Shinoda said he was "shocked and heartbroken" by the tragic news.
The Linkin Park frontman was close friends with Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, who died in May - in what was ruled by the coroner as suicide.
Today - July 20 in the US - would have been Cornell's 53rd birthday.
On the day Cornell died, Bennington wrote an open letter, posting it on Twitter.
Cornell's widow Vicky Cornell posted her shock on Twitter, saying: "Just when I thought my heart couldn't break any more... I love you T".
Linkin Park found fame in the early 2000s with hits like 'Numb' and 'In The End'. The band was at the forefront of the nu-metal sound, and collaborated with rapper Jay Z on 2004's Collision Course. The band's last album, One More Light, came out in May and hit #1 on the Billboard album chart.
Linkin Park released a new music video for 'Talking to Myself' just as news of Bennington's death was emerging.
In 2013 Bennington briefly joined Stone Temple Pilots, whose lead singer Scott Weiland died in December 2015.
The 'Crawling' singer had a past of drug and alcohol abuse, but reportedly had been clean a number of years. He was sexually abused as a child.
Celebrities as varied as Jimmy Kimmel, Rihanna and Imagine Dragons paid tribute to the singer.
If you wish to talk to someone about mental illness or domestic violence, you can call Lifeline on 0800 543 354, the Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757 or the National Telehealth Service on 1737.
Newshub.
