Radio Host Ted Stryker Wears Pin to Grammys to Honor Chester Bennington

As the 2018 Grammys kicked off, for many, as KROQ radio host Ted Stryker pointed out, it was impossible not to think of Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park who died by suicide in July 2017.

On the red carpet while conducting interviews, Stryker tweeted out a picture of his homage to the beloved singer: a pin with Bennington’s signature on it. Fans and bandmate Mike Shinoda tweeted their appreciation for the small but powerful statement.

This is a closeup of the pin I’m wearing at the #grammys – Chester Bennington’s signature. It’s impossible not to think about @ChesterBe tonight. pic.twitter.com/HfKzgXLmiE

— Ted Stryker (@TedStryker) January 29, 2018

There it is, @linkinpark fans ❤️ https://t.co/i1BIVwYMQ8

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 29, 2018

Many fans responded with the hashtag #MakeChesterProud. Borrowing the idea from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, whose husband died unexpectedly in 2015, Shinoda created the hashtag #MakeChesterProud in August 2017 and asked his Twitter followers to remember Bennington by being kind and generous to others. Fans have since been tweeting different ways they are “making Chester proud,” including taking care of their own mental health.

Bennington’s family and friends have also taken the last year to spread mental health awareness. At a tribute concert in October, Bennington’s wife, Talinda Bennington, announced a new mental health initiative in honor of her late husband.

“Saving lives is exactly what we plan to do in Chester’s memory,” Bennington said in a speech introducing her partnership with “Give an Hour” and Change Direction, a nonprofit dedicated to changing the conversation and culture around mental health. “Together, we will build a resource — not only for those suffering emotionally, but also for friends and family members and medical practitioners who are seeking answers about mental health, illness and addiction, so they can best support the people in their lives.” The initiative is called 320, after Chester’s birthday, March 20.

And this past Thursday, Shinoda released an EP entitled “Post Traumatic” featuring three new songs about his grieving process after Bennington’s death. The songs explore the complexity of grief, delving into an emotion we don’t often talk about after suicide loss — anger.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources page.

If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741741.