Promoter Michael Coppel toured Linkin Park in Australia from their first album and had begun discussions about returning in 2018, before today’s tragic news that lead singer Chester Bennington had taken his own life.

“It’s a real shock,” Coppel said today.

“I would have never picked it with Chris Cornell and I never saw this coming either. You think at 41 someone has their life worked out but pressures build up and sometimes people aren’t able to reach out for help.

“It’s very sad for the fans and very sad for the band. Chester was very intense on stage, but he was very quiet off stage.”

AJ Maddah ran the Soundwave Festival, which Linkin Park headlined in 2013 - now Bennington’s final visit to Australia.

“The rock community has lost not just a supreme talent, but also one of its most powerful performers,” Maddah said.

“He was also one of the rare superstars who could not do enough for his fans. I am very privileged to have been along for the ride to see this star rise and light up the rock universe. Truly heartbreaking.”

Promoter Chris O’Brien also worked with Bennington on the Soundwave tour and remembers the band being at the top of their game.

“The shows were spectacular and Chester was in brilliant form. It is an absolute tragedy that we have lost someone so talented at such an early age. I am shocked and in disbelief and my thoughts are with family and friends in what must be an incredibly tough time.”

Linkin Park had sold close to a million albums in Australia, with their debut Hybrid Theory selling over 350,000 copies alone.

In his final Australian interview, Bennington told News Corp in March the band’s new album One More Light followed two bleak years in his personal life.

Bennington hinted at relapsing into substance abuse, but stated he had turned his life around.

“When I was a guy in my 20s getting out of it, I didn’t realise I’d have these (drug) problems for my whole life. I didn’t think I’d be in one of the biggest bands in the world with a beautiful family at 41 going ‘F---, I could have easily have blacked out driving my car again two months ago’.”

The new album, their poppiest release, had divided fans, some of whom accused the band of selling out by leaving their trademark darker sound behind.

While the album charted highly around the world when released in May sales had quickly declined after a string of mixed reviews.

Bennington’s son wrote a poignant note urging his dad to “love life” just weeks before the rock star took his own life.

Bennington was found dead by a housekeeper in the bedroom of his Los Angeles home just before 9am local time (11pm AEST).

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office is treating it as a suspected suicide.

The singer is survived by his wife of twelve years, Talinda Ann Bennington (nee Bentley), and six children — Jamie, 21, Isaiah, 19, Draven, 15, Tyler Lee, 11, and Lily and Lila, 7.

It is understood they were not at the house when the incident took place, and Bennington was alone.

Just a week earlier, Bennington’s son Tyler left a post-it note on his father’s coffee mug, telling him to enjoy his day.

“Dad, enjoy your rehersal or whatever your doing today,” Tyler wrote.

“Love life because it’s a ‘Casltel of Glass’.”