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Talinda Bennington shares thoughts on TMZ reporting details of Avicii’s death

[Photo by: talinda320/Instagram]

Talinda Bennington recently shared her thoughts regarding the way the website TMZ reported the death of Swedish DJ Avicii. 

Read more: Talinda Bennington shares “5 signs of emotional health” to honor Chester’s birthday

The late DJ recently died by suicide at the age of 28. After his family confirmed the cause of death in a statement, TMZ reported graphic details on how he died. Bennington took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the matter, saying: “Please, please, DO NOT click on the TMZ article or any other about the private details of Avicii’s passing,”Bennington wrote on Twitter. “This is how WE can stop #filthytmz.”

She responded to one of her followers on Twitter, adding: “Thank you for the article. I would like to politely ask you to change your verbiage a bit though. It is shaming and stigmatizing to say “committed suicide “. Deepest gratuity if you could write “Died by suicide.”

Anna Shinoda, author and wife of Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda also called attention to the article, asking for more empathetic reporting, saying: “If you want to be respectful of the person who has passed and their family and friends, step in front of your curiosity,” she wrote. “Your click on that page is your vote. Your click tells them that you want more articles like these. Your click pays them for violating privacy and grieving space.”

Talinda Bennington recently launched a special “Change Direction” campaign to celebrate her late husband Chester Bennington's birthday. The campaign is part of 320's bigger Changes Direction campaign, a resource for friends and family members who are seeking answers to questions about mental health, mental illness and addiction so that they can support the people in their lives who are suffering emotionally.

Talinda also took part in the Canadian Event Safety Summit, speaking about mental illness and what she's learned since Chester's death.

“He struggled with addiction and depression, two things I have never struggled with,” Bennington explains. “Over time, I came to learn that taking care of your mental health is, as I said before, as important as taking care of your physical health.

“When Chester died, it was a complete surprise…We had a very dear friend, Chris Cornell, take his life, and I felt, 'OK, Chester sees what Vicky and the kids are going through, and this would never happen.' So we went on a family trip…My husband was full of life. He was very excited to be promoting his new album, so he was happy. He gave me his goodbye; he gave my kids his goodbye, and I never saw him again.”

She explains that his death began her journey of normalizing mental health and knowing that it's OK to not be OK—and to ask for help when you need it.

Watch more: 11 Linkin Park deep cuts

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

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