Linkin Park paid tribute to Chester Bennington Thursday on the first anniversary of the singer’s death.
“It has been a year since your passing – a surreal rotation of grief, heartbreak, refusal, and recognition,” the band wrote on Twitter. “And yet it still feels like you are close by, surrounding us with your memory and your light. Your one-of-a-kind spirit has authored an indelible imprint on our hearts – our jokes, our joy, and our tenderness.”
Bennington died by suicide on July 20th, 2017, just two months after the death of his friend, Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, whose birthday was also July 20th; Bennington performed at Cornell’s funeral.
“Eternally grateful for the love, life and creative passion you shred with us and the world,” Linkin Park continued. “We miss you more than words can express.”
Linkin Park bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell also remembered Bennington on Instagram Thursday. “Chester, in the past year, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t thought of you. I miss you, and it still hurts to not have you here,” Farrell wrote.
“And today, a year after your passing, I still struggle to try and eloquently express what you mean to your family, your friends, your fans… and to me. There is so much that I feel, and that I could say, and that I would want to say, and that I don’t know how to say… but one thing I know for certain, is that you are loved, and you are missed.”