Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has shared a heartfelt letter he wrote to his late friend and mentor Chris Cornell, expressing his overwhelming sadness while praising the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman for his “unrivaled” talent.
In his open letter, Bennington says:
I dreamt about the Beatles last night. I woke up with ‘Rocky Raccoon’ playing in my head and a concerned look on my wife’s face. She told me my friend had just passed away. Thoughts of you flooded my mind and I wept.
I’m still weeping, with sadness, as well as gratitude for having shared some very special moments with you and your beautiful family. You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known. Your talent was pure and unrivaled. Your voice was joy and pain, anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one.
I suppose that’s what we all are. You helped me understand that. I just watched a video of you singing ‘A Day In The Life’ by the Beatles and thought of my dream. I’d like to think you were saying goodbye in your own way.
I can’t imagine a world without you in it. I pray you find peace in the next life. I send my love to your wife and children, friends and family.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your life.
With all my love.
Your friend,
Chester
Bennington and his Linkin Park bandmate Brad Delson performed a haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ at Cornell’s funeral last month, after Cornell was found dead in a Detroit hotel room earlier in May.
Bennington’s open letter to Cornell comes after Cornell’s brother Peter also shared a heartbreaking tribute, and Cornell’s Audioslave bandmates honoured him by performing ‘Like A Stone’ with System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian.
Cornell’s toxicology results were released earlier this month, and showed a number of prescription drugs in his system. His widow, Vicky Cornell, later released an emotional statement about the results, calling her husband’s death a “moment of terrible judgment”.
