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Jared Leto’s Emotional Tribute to Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington: ‘A Tragic Loss of an Absolute Legend’

Chester Bennington and Jared Leto
Chester Bennington and Jared Leto attend the iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on May 1, 2014.Larry Busacca/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Jared Leto paid tribute to late Linkin Park front man Chester Bennington, posting a heartfelt note on Instagram on Saturday, July 22.

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“When I think of Chester I remember his smile…” the Thirty Seconds to Mars singer captioned a grinning photo of Bennington. “His laughter, intelligence, kindness and talent. That absolutely unforgettable voice that was at once — delicate, ferocious and always full of emotion.”

“Witnessing his life taught me a lot,” Leto, 45, continued. “Especially about commitment, about kindness, about hard work, about the pursuit and achievement of dreams and mostly, about love. I know that both his family and his band were a massive source of inspiration and pride for him. It was clear to me that he was deeply grateful for both the people that surrounded him and the life that he had.”

“My heart goes out to his family, friends and fans,” the Oscar winner concluded. “A tragic loss of an absolute legend. We will miss you.”

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As previously reported, Bennington hanged himself at a private residence in the Palos Verdes Estates neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 41.

Linkin Park had just debuted a new music video for their song “Talking to Myself” two hours before news broke of the singer’s death.

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Live Nation announced in a statement on Friday, July 21, that the band’s upcoming North American tour to support their new album, One More Light, has been canceled. Blink-182, who were set to kick off their Blinkin Park tour alongside Linkin Park next weekend also announced on Saturday that they were canceling their dates.

“Blink-182 is wrecked by the loss of our friend and amazing musician Chester Bennington,” the band wrote in a statement on Twitter. “We could never imagine playing blinkin park without his incredible talent and voice. It just would not be possible. We send our deepest sympathies to his family, bandmates, friends and fans. Refunds will be available at the place of purchase.”

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