When it comes to stirring up criticism, Brian ‘Head’ Welch is no stranger to controversy. The lead guitarist for the band Korn took to social media on Thursday to process the loss of fellow musician Chester Bennington.
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The lead singer for Linkin Park reportedly committed suicide on Thursday morning in his Los Angeles home. He was 41 years old, and left behind his wife and six children.
Welch posted a photo to Instagram Thursday with a message about Bennington’s death saying that he knows the difficulties of the music industry:
“Music is one of the most relentlessly difficult industries to work in. It’s taken a toll on my body; mentally, physically, spiritually. From the outside, I completely understand why people roll their eyes when we highlight the difficulties. You see what we want you to see. The show. The facade. The pristine package. But creating that package asks us for more vulnerability than I think we’re prepared for when we start out. We find places in our souls that most have the luxury of not exploring. It gets dark.”
But, with all of that understanding, Welch also says suicide is not the answer. Prefacing that his motives weren’t to “cheapen a tragedy,” the guitarist shared some honest thoughts about Bennington’s temporary decision—acknowledging that it easily could have been him back in the day (before he was saved).
“Honestly, Chester’s an old friend who we’ve hung with many times, and I have friends who are extremely close to him, but this is truly pissing me off! How can these guys send this message to their kids and fans?! I’m sick of this suicide [junk]. I’ve battled depression/mental illness, and I’m trying to be sympethetic, but it’s hard when you’re pissed! Enough is enough! Giving up on your kids, fans, and life is the cowardly way out!!!”
On Twitter, he even called Bennington a “coward.”
In a statement later on, Welch said that he didn’t mean to sound “insensitive,” but he was dealing with a “range of emotions.”
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“I’m sorry, I know meds and/or alcohol may have been involved, I’m just processing like all of us and I know we are all having some of the same thoughts/feelings.”
Before ending his emotional posts, Welch closed with a prayer:
“Lord, take Chester in your arms and please re-unite him with his family and all of us one day. Be with his wife and kids with your grace during this difficult time.”
He also added a note of hope amidst the darkness:
“Let’s celebrate people. Let’s celebrate good things. Let’s celebrate art and each other. There’s a lot of darkness and hurt out there. You can add to it, you can make it colder, darker, or you can shine a light on it.”
