Linkin Park paid a heartfelt tribute to Chester Bennington, their late bandmate, when they dedicated their AMA (American Music Award) to his memory.
Chester, 41, was found dead at his home in California on July 20. A coroner said the star apparently hanged himself.



Mike Shinoda, the guitarist and founding member of the band thanked fans for their support and told them to be grateful for “what they had” during the AMA ceremony in Los Angeles, last Saturday.
A photograph of a smiling Bennington was displayed behind the band while the group was on stage to receive the prize for favourite artist in the alternative rock category,



Shinoda told the audience: “Thank you so much. Thank you to the amazing Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots. I got a chance to talk to those guys who said really wonderful things about Chester and they were similar to the things that our fans said around the world about him….We want to dedicate this award to him, to his memory, to his talent, to his sense of humour, to his joy. And remember, you guys, all of you, tonight, whether you are a fan or an artist, I want you guys to take a moment to appreciate what you’ve got and make Chester proud…..Thank you to all the fans who voted. We love you so much.”



Last month, Bennington’s bandmates and family released the Linkin Park’s episode of Carpool Karaoke, which was put on hold following the singer’s suicide in the summer. The episode was filmed six days before Chester was tragically found dead at his family home and the clip shows Chester and his bandmates laughing and singing with comedian Ken Jeong.



Linkin Park recently announced they will release an album in December. The songs featured will be from live recordings from the band’s One More Light tour.

Article by Valentina Guidi.

George Millington