Linkin Park officially canceled their upcoming tour in the wake of the death of their singer Chester Bennington.
And some planned concert goers are donating their refunds to suicide prevention charity campaigns.
Bennington, who co-fronted Linkin Park with rapper Mike Shinoda for more than two decades, was found dead Thursday at his home south of Los Angeles. The county coroner ruled his death suicide by hanging.
Bennington was a close friend of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, who hanged himself in May. Thursday would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday. Both men had struggled with substance abuse for many years.
The Los Angeles rap-rock band, which had just filmed a segment for Carpool Karaoke: The Series, has scored five No. 1 albums, including the May release One More Light, and placed dozen songs atop various rock charts. Its breakthrough album Hybrid Theory (2000) is considered the zenith of the nu metal genre, having moved more than 11 million units in the U.S. alone.
Linkin Park was set to launch a North American tour next week in Boston, but it was canceled Saturday.
“We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chester Bennington,” Live Nation, the tour’s promoter, said in a statement Friday. “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.”
The band were due to play 27 dates across the continent from July to October in support of their recent album ‘One More Light’.
According to the BBC, a spokesman for the company added: “We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chester Bennington.”
But as the tributes to Bennington continue to come in, many posted about donating their ticket money to suicide prevention centers.
#linkinpark #chesterbennington When I get my refund for the Mpls Linkin Park show, I'm donating the money to https://t.co/N517rUpsWv
— wildtwins (@bwithrow10) July 20, 2017
If I bought Linkin Park tickets, I wouldn't want a refund, of want the money donated to a suicide prevention charity. Rip Chester ❤❤
— Ashley (@garretta82) July 20, 2017
On Saturday, Linkin Park also set up a suicide prevention and tribute site for singer Chester Bennington. Chester.linkinpark.com leads with, “In case you or someone you know needs support, here are some resources” and lists contact numbers and sites and prominently features #ripchester.
The new site doubles as a place where fans can pay their condolences to the singer, with posts from various social media updating in real time using the hashtag #RIPchester.
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