Chester Bennington’s ex-wife Samantha (pictured) penned a scathing Facebook post on Wednesday in which she slammed his widow and those close to him when he died
Chester Bennington’s first wife has lashed out at his widow in a scathing Facebook post in which she slammed his ‘disgusting’ funeral and threatened: ‘Karma is real’.
In her lengthy post, Samantha Bennington made a string of complaints including the accusation that she and her son 15-year-old son Draven have been left out of family events and services since the singer’s suicide on July 20.
She claimed her son had not been given any of his father’s belongings by his widow Talinda and accused those close to the rock star at the time of his death of ‘capitalizing’ on it with a ‘disgusting’ funeral.
The post comes a month after Chester was found hanging at his home in California.
Friends of the star revealed that he had been struggling to overcome his grief following the suicide of his friend and fellow rocker Chris Cornell earlier this year.
Samantha was married to the singer for nine years between 1996 and 2005. He married his second wife Talinda in the year they divorced.
Introducing her post on Wednesday, Samantha wrote: ‘I have been a lady, I have kept my mouth shut. I hold my head up high but as my head starts to lower I’m not in my own truth.’
Samantha aired her grievances on Facebook on Wednesday in a lengthy post
She went on to accuse those closest to Chester of ‘capitalizing’ on his death
Chester and Samantha were married for nine years between 1996 and 2005. They are pictured in 2004 (left) and 2003 (right)
She went on to make a series of scathing accusations and complaints directed towards Chester’s widow who she referred to as ‘T’.
Most of her grievances lay with the star’s funeral where she said neither she nor her son ‘had an opportunity to speak’ and which ‘only represented his life with his new wife’.
‘It was a disgusting delusional display on all people who spoke at the funeral & their characters,’ she wrote, later comparing the event to the ‘KROQ’s Weinie Roast Festival’.
‘Never mentioning a man who grew up from a little boy and loved many things, becoming a rock star was just one thing! We’re were photos of him? Why did the program look like a cheap happy hour menu?!
‘I’m so disgusted on so many levels! Their [sic] were many friends & family that should have been there but when you turn a funeral into reducing someone’s life into only 12 years that’s what you get!’
She revealed that since his father’s death, Draven had been unable to go inside the home where he committed suicide but said that his reluctance had been confused with her forbidding him to visit his half-siblings.
The Linkin Park frontman married his second wife Talinda in 2005. They are seen in 2008 with some of their five children and other relatives
Samantha said she and her 15-year-old son Draven (above during a recent trip to Bali) were not mentioned at Chester’s funeral
‘Dra was never treated equally by T & never wanted to go there because of that. Now because he doesn’t want to go into the home where his father’s suicide took place, the rumors of me keeping my son from his siblings couldn’t be further from the truth!’ she said.
After airing a host of other complaints, she said: ‘My ex told me & shared a lot with Dra & I. I won’t lie to my son for you or anyone.
‘We know why your the way you are & say the things you say. Your [sic] afraid the truth will come out. I’m not speaking to just one person.
‘I hope you like capitalizing on his death .. karma is real,’ she wrote.
Talinda, who has been communicating with fans and sharing statements on Twitter since her husband’s death, has not responded to Samantha’s outburst.
Samantha said her son (left) was ‘never treated equally’ by his stepmother (right) and that he avoided going to his father’s house because of it
She has not been seen publicly since her husband’s suicide on July 20.
Bennington killed himself on July 20 at the age of 41
In an emotional post after his death, she described him as her ‘soulmate’.
‘One week ago, I lost my soulmate and my children lost their hero – their Daddy. We had a fairytale life and now it has turned into some sick Shakespearean tragedy,’ the 40-year-old model said in a statement.
‘How do I move on? How do I pick up my shattered soul.
‘The only answer I know is to raise our babies with every ounce of love I have left,’ she said.
There were no illegal drugs at the family’s home at the time of Chester’s death. The star had been battling depression for years before he killed himself and had given up drinking.
If you or anyone you know needs support, contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-TALK.