Linkin Park’s Heartbreaking First Words on Chester Bennington’s Suicide

UPDATE: The cause of death for Chester Bennington has been revealed. The L.A. Coroner's Office confirmed to People magazine that he died of suicide by hanging.

Days after his shocking suicide, the surviving members of Linkin Park are breaking their silence on Chester Bennington.

In a touching letter, the band wrote on their website, "Our hearts are broken. The shockwaves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened.”

"You touched so many lives, maybe even more than you realized. In the past few days, we've seen an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world,” the band continued. "Talinda and the family appreciate it, and want the world to know that you were the best husband, son, and father; the family will never be whole without you.”

The band went on to comment on his inner “demons,” saying, "Your absence leaves a void that can never be filled— a boisterous, funny, ambitious, creative, kind, generous voice in the room is missing. We're trying to remind ourselves that the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal. After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place. You fearlessly put them on display, and in doing so, brought us together and taught us to be more human. You had the biggest heart, and managed to wear it on your sleeve.”

The group also commented on the uncertain future of Linkin Park, noting, "Our love for making and performing music is inextinguishable. While we don't know what path our future may take, we know that each of our lives was made better by you. Thank you for that gift. We love you, and miss you so much.”

The band has canceled its tour, which was scheduled to kick off this week. Linkin Park was set to perform songs from their latest album, “One More Light.” Chester recently opened up on how the album helped him through dark times, telling The Mirror UK in his last interview, "For me personally, when we first started working on this record I was coming out of the darkest time of my life and it was all sh*t that I was doing to myself. It was all stuff that I had control over... even though I felt differently at the time.”

He added, "I came to a point in my life where I was like, 'I can either just give up and f**king die or I can f**king fight for what I want.' And I chose to fight for what I wanted. I wanted to have good relationships. I wanted to love the people in my life. I wanted to enjoy my job.”

Immediately after news broke of Chester's death, bandmate Mike Shinoda tweeted, "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true."

See more celebrity reactions to Bennington's shocking death below.