Video Shows a Laughing Chester Bennington Hours Before He Died

Linkin Park frontman's widow posts clip: 'This is what depression looked like to us'
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2017 7:03 AM CDT
Video Shows a Laughing Chester Bennington Hours Before He Died
Chester Bennington, seen in a Twitter video posted by his wife.   (Twitter)

Even those closest to someone with depression might not see warning signs, as evidenced by a new video posted by Chester Bennington's widow. TMZ reports that Talinda Bennington uploaded a video to Twitter on Saturday showing the Linkin Park frontman, who killed himself in July, participating in a jelly bean-eating contest with one of his sons and another man not even two days before his suicide. He's seen hamming it up for at least one giggling child off-screen as he consumes a sample (he speculates it's "rotten egg" flavor), spitting out the awful-tasting candy and laughing with his family. "This is what depression looked like to us just 36 hrs b4 his death," Talinda writes. "He loved us SO much & we loved him."

People notes that Talinda has used her Twitter feed since her husband's death to spread awareness about mental illness, often with the hashtags #f---depression and #MakeChesterProud. Earlier this month, she posted a photo of a smiling Bennington hanging out with his family near the water, with the caption: "This was days b4 my husband took his own life. Suicidal thoughts were there, but you'd. Never [know]." TMZ noted in late August that Bennington's family plans on setting up a suicide awareness organization to help prevent copycat suicides in the wake of his death and that of friend Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden who took his own life in May. (Talinda Bennington's statement after her husband's death talked about her "shattered soul.")

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