THE BEAST

The surviving members of LINKIN PARK have paid tribute to Chester Bennington on the first anniversary of his death.

The LINKIN PARK frontman was found dead in his residence in Palos Verdes near Los Angeles. Although it as reported immediately that he had hanged himself, there were questions about possible drug abuse. It wasn't until the autopsy was released in December, that we learned definitively that drugs and alcohol were not factors in the cause of death.

Earlier today, Mike Shinoda (vocals), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (programming) and Rob Bourdon (drums) shared a heartfelt note to their late bandmate, remembering him as a "one-of-a-kind spirit" who is missed "more than words can express."

The full message reads as follows:

"To our brother Chester ,

"It has been a year since your passing — a surreal rotation of grief, heartbreak, refusal, and recognition. And yet it sill feels like you are close by, surrounding us with your memory and your light. Your one-of-a-kind spirit has authored an indelible imprint on our hearts — our jokes, our joy, and our tenderness.

"Eternally grateful for the love, life, and creative passion you shared with us and the world. We miss you more than words can express.

"Love,

"M, J, D, R, B"

Earlier this year, Chester 's widow, Talinda who has been a loud advocate in bringing awareness to mental health issues, announced the 320 Changes Direction campaign created in honor of her late husband to educate about mental illness. This was launched through ChangeDirection.org , which points out five signs to be aware of.

In October, LINKIN PARK took to the Hollywood Bowl stage for an emotional three-hour tribute concert featuring guest such as BLINK-182 , members of KORN , NO DOUBT , AVENGED SEVENFOLD , BUSH , and several others. Some of the band's biggest hits, including "Numb" and "In The End" , were sung entirely by the audience, while a spotlight focused on a solitary mic stand on the stage. Proceeds from the concert, were set aside for the Music For Relief 's One More Light Fund .

Just this week, Shinoda told France's United Rock Nations that he was "open" to the idea of doing shows in the future with LINKIN PARK , saying: "I'm just taking it one step at a time and keeping my mind open to the possibilities — whether it's doing things under my name or working with other artists or producing tracks for somebody else or if the guys are at a point where they wanna play LINKIN PARK shows, I'm sure that any of those things are possibilities and I'm just open to whatever happens."