Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Found Dead of Apparent Suicide

PALOS VERDES, CA — Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was reportedly found dead in Palos Verdes Thursday morning. He was 41 years old.

Los Angeles coroner's Chief Brian Elias confirmed Bennington's death is being investigated as a suicide. TMZ is reporting that the singer and father of six children hanged himself following a lifelong struggle with depression.

At 8:56 a.m. Thursday Palos Verdes Estates police officers responded to a call at the 28000 block Via Victoria, confirmed Corp. Greg Robinson. At this point, the Los Angeles County Coroner is handling the investigation, said a Palos Verdes Estates police spokeswoman.

Watch: Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Found Dead

In life, Bennington never hid his personal torment from his fans. His struggles with drugs and alcohol were often public, and he had said in the past that he wanted to kill himself because of years of sexual abuse he suffered as a child, according to TMZ.

Bennington also suffered further loss in the last year following the suicide of his close friend Chris Cornell, the Soundgarden singer who killed himself following a concert in May. Cornell's death prompted Bennington to pen an open letter to his friend. "I can't imagine a world without you in it," he wrote.

A nu metal band formed in the mid 90s in Agoura Hills, Linkin Park was a leading band in the alternative metal era, named the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium by MTV2 in 2003. The band is best known for its albums "Hybrid Theory," "Reanimation" and "Meteora," which highlights the band's signature combination of rap and metal.

In addition to Linkin Park, Bennington, a native of Arizona, was briefly the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots. He also formed the band Dead by Sunrise.

News of the singer's tragic passing spread quickly, and fans mourned together on social media. Artists such as Rihanna and Chance the Rapper shared their condolences and talked about the inspiration Bennington was for them.

Related: Chris Cornell, Soundgarden Frontman, Laid To Rest At Hollywood Forever

Chris Cornell's Death Ruled Suicide By Hanging; Anti-Anxiety Meds May Have Contributed

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Photo: Singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs onstage during Spike TV's 10th annual Video Game Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on Dec. 7, 2012, in Culver City, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)