Linkin Park's Chester Bennington Leaves Stone Temple Pilots To Focus on Original Band

Linkin Park's frontman Chester Bennington, who has been filling in for Scott Weiland as the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots (STP) since 2013, has officially announced his departure from the band after nearly three years. Leaving will serve to help the singer devote more time to his original band and family.

Weiland recently hinted that Bennington may be leaving the band, and today, we get the unfortunate (or fortunate) confirmation. Stone Temple Pilots' remaining members include Robert DeLeo, Dean DeLeo and Eric Kretz. Since his earlier departure from Stone Temple Pilots, the original frontman, Weiland, has since been focusing on his solo career as Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts.

According to Alternative Press, Bennington, as well as the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots, have released separate statements. "The last few years have been an amazing experience," said Bennington. "I got to create and perform with one of the greatest rock bands of our generation, that had so much influence on me growing up. With the amount of time STP deserves, in addition to being in Linkin Park, and with the needs of my family, one of them always seems to fall short. Going in to this, the four of us… Robert, Eric, Dean and myself knew what we were up against. We decided in due fairness to friends, fans and the legacy of STP that it needs more than time was allowing me. And in all fairness to my bandmates in Linkin Park, as well as to myself and to my family, I’m going to focus solely on Linkin Park so I can contribute 100%."

The band stated, of their experience with Bennington and future of the band, "We have thoroughly enjoyed our time together with Chester not only professionally, but even more so on a personal level. Sadly, it was evident that scheduling and time was working against us. Within this, there is a new beginning. There is an abundance of new music written, some of which is already recorded. We have had the fortune of playing with some very talented singers over the last few months and will continue to do so until each of us feels and knows when the right person arrives."

Regardless of where this change leads the band, it surely points them in the right direction to start working on a new album. Until then, watch their official music video for "Crawling" off of Linkin Park's 2000 celebrated debut album Hybrid Theory.

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Linkin Park, Chester Bennington, Stone Temple Pilots