Chester Bennington is being removed from the band’s online catalog, according to his son Jaime Bennington.
Jaime shared plenty of stories on his Instagram and addressed the issue. “Crushed tonight listening to Linkin Park and seeing Chester removed from the Spotify artwork. Mike Shinoda please fix this,” a user wrote on X. Jaime shared a screenshot of the post, and added, “Really guys.”
“BTW some people are reporting that Spotify still shows Chester on their end. So I don’t know what’s up,” he added in another story. “For some people Chester is still visible. For others he is not.”
The news came just a few days after Jaime called out the band members for trying to erase his father from the band’s history.
Jaime took to social media after the band’s livestream on September 5. The band introduced Emily Armstrong as the new co-lead vocalist during the livestream. On Instagram, he wrote, “You hired your friend of many years, Emily Armstrong, to replace Chester… knowing Emily’s history in the church and her history as an ally to Danny Masterson.”
“You quietly erase[d] my father’s life and legacy in real time… during international suicide prevention month and refuse to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base,” Jaime continued. He finished his statement by criticizing Shinoda.
Shinoda responded to his claims not too long later. Towards the end of one of their first shows in years, Shinoda asks the crowd how many hadn’t seen the band live before. After a big cheer, he said, “That’s incredible. That’s part of why we’re back out there.”
“It is not about erasing the past – it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you,” Shinoda clarified.
Jaime said he wanted to go to the show for closure. He tried to get tickets through them but got no response, so he had to get them with a friend’s help.
Even though Jaime and the band aren’t on good terms, Chester’s widow, Talinda, is supporting Linkin Park’s comeback with Emily Armstrong. She showed her support on Instagram with a heart and a fire emoji in the comments.
