Oli Sykes Talks About Chester Bennington's Death: Bitter, Part Of My Childhood Dies

Oli Sykes (Instagram @olobersykes)

JAKARTA - In an interview with Meltdown from Detroit's WRIF radio station, Oliver "Oli" Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon recalled his participation in Linkin Park's tribute concert to the late Chester Bennington.

The concert took place on 27 October 2017 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles where Linkin Park returned to stage for the first time since Chester committed suicide in July that year.

"I think the best way to describe it is bitter," Sykes said.

"Obviously [it's] an experience that wasn't real to me, but only in the worst circumstances. So, yes, that's... I don't know. I think it's hard to process things like that," he continued.

"I never really said much when a famous person dies that you don't really know but means a lot to you because part of me is, like, what rights should I talk about this person?"

"I don't know them. Just because of their musicals, whatever they do, it really helps me... It's strange. I feel like a fraud syndrome. I feel a part of myself is dead, but it's also like I don't really know this person. So, it's a very difficult thing to process."

"I really felt like part of my childhood died when [Chester] died, because I was innocent."

"I don't know. But I don't cry because I don't know him as a person. [I feel] a kind of distrust, I think. And the same when we play a show. It's almost like you "don't do what you really do; you don't really think about what it really is. Like I'm here, standing... It's basically his funeral; I'm playing his funeral. You don't think like that. Just do it. I don't know. Sadness is weird."

In the concert titled "Linkin Park And Friends Celebrate Life In Honor Of Chester Bennington" Sykes sang Linkin Park's Crawling song. The results of this event were donated to the Music For Relief's One More Light Fund in memory of Chester.

Among the other artists who appeared on the show were Jonathan Davis of KORN, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates of Average Sevenfold, all members of System Of A Down except Serj Tankian, members of Blink-182, Machine Gun Kelly, former Yellowcard vocalist Ryan Key, pop singer and collaborator Linkin Park Kiiara and many more.