Above is an audio recording of the 911 call placed by Chester Bennington’s driver, who arrived at the musician’s home in Palos Verdes Estates in L.A. County a short time after Bennington’s body was found.
Bennington of Linkin Park fame died by suicide on July 20. TMZ released the audio of the 911 call on Monday, July 24.
The driver who made the call was scheduled to pick up Bennington “most likely… for a scheduled photo shoot,” according to TMZ, when he was confronted by Bennington’s housekeeper. She had been hysterically crying, but was able to tell the driver what she saw. He quickly dialed 911 to report the incident. He was able to remain calm during the call.
“I’m working. I’m a driver. And I just got to the location and his housekeeper came out and said that he… killed himself… I haven’t seen him, I’m sitting in the car,” the driver told the 911 operator. The housekeeper can be heard crying in the background. The driver said that the housekeeper had been talking to Bennington’s wife at the time. According to the original report by TMZ, Bennington’s family had been out of town at the time. It is presumed that their housekeeper was on the phone with Bennington’s wife while the driver called 911.
“I asked, I said is he cold, is he warm? And she said, ‘no he’s dead,'” the driver told the operator. He was then transferred to a nearby fire department for further assistance. The driver was told to have everyone wait outside of the room until emergency responders arrived.
A short while later, news outlets reported that Bennington had died by suicide. His death was on the birthday of his friend Chris Cornell. Cornell died by suicide in May. Bennington previously suffered from issues with drugs and alcohol.
Bennington was 41 years old. He is survived by his wife, Talinda Bennington, and six children.