Who is Mike Shinoda? Chester Bennington’s Linkin Park bandmate and father of two
The rock band has been left devastated by the death of its lead singer
CHESTER Bennington's sudden death at the age of just 41 rocked the music world.
The singer's Linkin Park bandmates in particular have been left devastated by his death, here's everything you need to know about band member Mike Shinoda.
Who is Mike Shinoda?
Mike Shinoda is a 40-year-old rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer.
The singer grew up in Agoura Hills, California and has a younger brother. His father is Japanese.
Mike married author Anna Hillinger in 2003 and the couple has two children together.
What is Mike Shinoda's role in Linkin Park?
Mike Shinoda is Linkin Park's rhythm guitarist, lead songwriter, keyboard player, and co-lead vocalist with Chester Bennington, providing the rap-style vocals.
Mike co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 with Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson, after meeting in High School and the three men are still active members of the band.
He has also created a hip-hop style side project called Fort Minor, which has been making music since 2004.
He has also produced albums and singles for artists including Lupe Fiasco, Styles of Beyond and The X-Ecutioners, and is the co-founder of record label Machine Shop Records.
What has Mike said about Chester Bennington's death?
Following the sad news that Chester Bennington had died from an apparent suicide at his home in Los Angeles, Mike took to Twitter to share his shock and grief.
He tweeted: "Shocked and heartbroken but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."
Chester's death on July 20 came just hours after Linkin Park released a new music video for its track, Talking to Myself.
How did Chester Bennington die?
Chester was found dead aged 41 in a private residence in Palo Verdes Estates in Los Angeles County.
His body was discovered on the morning of July 20, 2017. It is believed that he hanged himself.
The Los Angeles County coroner confirmed the death of the Linkin Park star.
His band’s second to last single Heavy, which was released in February earlier in the year, appeared to hint at his troubled state of mind.
The song focused on the topic of depression and featured haunting lyrics including: “I don’t like my mind right now // Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary // Wish that I could slow things down”
In the chorus, he talks about how he is dragging around issues that are bringing him down before chillingly adding: “If I just let go, I’d be set free.”
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