Chester Bennington’s ex-wife Samantha Bennington recently revealed that the late Linkin Park frontman’s father passed away alone. Family members were kept unaware of his condition. She shared this emotional statement on Instagram.
The statement addressed the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding the death and the family dispute that prevented loved ones from being present during his final days.
“Hey, guys. What’s up? Wanted to share a little bit more detail,” Samantha said. “Tuesday, me and my two sisters in laws Tobi and Rene, and my niece, Amanda, were all on the phone, and we just found out that their father passed. A lot of people in the music industry know Chester’s father, and he toured with me, Chester, and Draven quite a bit.”
She continued to explain the close relationship many family members had with Chester’s father. She expressed frustration about being kept in the dark.
“He’d be out on the road with us a lot and We all know, just like any family have our ups and downs, but I was very close with pops and so was his grandson, Draven,” she said. “And we didn’t get the opportunity to even go visit him because we didn’t know. His son, other son, decided not to share any of the news with his own sisters or any of his other daughter in laws or other grandchildren.”
Samantha expressed her disappointment about the circumstances of his passing. She emphasized the importance of family being together during difficult times.
“It’s a shame because I just realized that Pops passed away all by himself without any of his kids besides his one son. Not fair. Not cool. And he didn’t get to see any of his grandkids, so none of his grandkids or even great grand-babies got to see him. And it breaks my heart,” she said. “I’m not here to do all this or say all that. I do not want any human being should never have to be by themselves on their last days or with strangers in a nursing home. It’s not okay. And I want all his grandkids to know how much he truly, I believe, loved each and every one of them and the best way he possibly could.”
Despite the painful circumstances, Samantha concluded her statement by encouraging family members to focus on positive memories. She wanted them to honor his memory in a way he would have wanted.
“I just want him to be remembered in his Pops way. And I don’t want us to focus on anything but the gratitude of having, some kids don’t even get one parent, let alone two parents. So let’s remember the good stuff,” she said. “He wouldn’t want us all to be super sad. He would want us to party. He’d want us to have fun. He’d want us to be happy. He’d want us to be together.”
This revelation came after Chester’s sister Tobi Bennington had previously disclosed their father’s passing and the family dispute that left many relatives unaware of the situation.
