Chester Bennington’s teenage son has pledged to seek help if he is struggling with depression as part of a new initiative for America’s National Suicide Prevention Week.
As the two-month anniversary of the Linkin Park star’s tragic death approaches, his 15-year-old boy Draven has filmed a video on behalf of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to encourage others struggling with similar troubles to reach out for support during their darkest days.
In the footage, posted on YouTube, he says, “Hi, I’m Draven Bennington, and I’m here on National Suicide Prevention Week.
“I want to make a commitment that I will talk to someone before I hurt myself when I’m feeling depressed, sad or going through a hard week, month or year.”
“I want to challenge you to do the same – to help yourself, not hurt yourself,” he concludes, as an instrumental of the rock group’s hit Numb plays in the background.
Draven is Chester’s only child with his first wife Samantha Marie Olit. They divorced in 2005 after nine years of marriage.
The singer, who killed himself at his California home on 20 July (17), also shared son Tyler and twin daughters Lila and Lily with his widow Talinda, as well as 21-year-old son Jaime and 19-year-old boy Isaiah with ex-girlfriend Elka Brand.
Talinda Bennington has also been raising awareness about mental health following Chester’s passing, encouraging fans on social media to speak openly about their issues by using the hashtags “#fuckdepression” and “#MakeChesterProud”.
Last week, she also shared a picture of the musician smiling with his family, taken just days before he died.
“This was days b4 (before) my husband took his own life,” she captioned the image. “Suicidal thoughts were there, but you’d. Never kmow (sic). #f**kdepression.”
