For millions of millennials around the world, news of the apparent suicide of Chester Bennington, the 41-year-old singer of Linkin Park, will come not only as a shock, but carry a very specific resonance.

From 2000 – the year in which Linkin Park became a sensation with their diamond-certified album Hybrid Theory – Bennington's lyrics and example have been helping young people cope with their own battles, sense of alienation, and struggles with mental health.

Born in Arizona in 1976, Bennington had a troubled childhood and teenage life. He was sexually abused for years by a friend, bullied, and struggled with drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.

He survived all this, and channelled his experiences into becoming the frontman of one of the biggest rock bands of his generation by the age of 24.