This story about Chester Bennington singing 'Popeye' as a 2-year-old is beautiful
[Photo by: Linkin Park/Instagram]
Chester Bennington's mother shared a touching story with his former bandmates about the late Linkin Park frontman's childhood singing experiences, as recounted by Dead By Sunrise's Ryan Shuck at a recent tribute show in Las Vegas. Read Shuck's emotional recollection below.
Read more: Jared Leto honors Chester Bennington at the VMAs
As reported by Loudwire, Shuck, Bennington's onetime bandmate in Dead By Sunrise, took the stage at the Saxe Theater performance on Sept. 2 and gave a moving speech about the Linkin Park singer. Shuck recounts a tale told to him by Bennington's mother, Susan, about the musician's impromptu recitals as a toddler, including his early performances of entire movie soundtracks.
“I started feeling happy as Susan started telling us stories about Chester when he was a 2-year-old,” Shuck says. “She was telling me that he learned the entire Popeye movie at like 2 or 3 years old. He would sing and act out all the parts for everyone that came over to the house, the whole thing, and he would make them listen to the whole thing. He would make them sit.”
“This is, like, little Chester,” Shuck continues. “He probably weighed like 4 pounds, probably as big as a chihuahua. He was a little guy for a long time before he became [a big rock star].” (transcription via Alternative Nation)
The recent Chester Bennington tribute show featured performances from members of both Dead By Sunrise and Grey Daze. (Dead By Sunrise was Bennington's Linkin Park side project, formed in 2005; Grey Daze was the frontman's pre-LP band, during his early-career beginnings in Phoenix.) Shuck says recalling Chester's childhood helped alleviate his sadness after the musician's death—the Linkin Park singer died by suicide in July.
“We were all laughing at dinner,” says Shuck. “Whenever we started talking about Chester, we couldn't help but start laughing and having a good time. … [A]s you start talking about him, you can’t help but start smiling.”
Watch Shuck's entire speech at the Chester Bennington tribute here:
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, there is help to be found. Please consider these online resources and talk to your regular doctor about your symptoms:
MentalHealth.gov – Get Immediate Help
ImAlive – Online Crisis Network
International Association For Suicide Prevention – Resources
The Anxiety And Depression Association Of America
The National Alliance On Mental Illness
American Psychiatric Association – Finding Help
National Institute Of Mental Health
American Psychological Association – Psychologist locator
Watch more: The APTV Chester Bennington Interview (2015)
