Pakistani singer pays tribute to Chester Bennington

The Linkin Park frontman passed away in July 2017

KARACHI: Linkin Park’s music is loved by fans from all across the glob­­e. Needless to say, when Chester Bennington died in the summer of 2017, other band members and fans from all around the world were shocked. While the remaining members of the band paid tribute to the late musician in October 2017, one singer from Pakistan also took it upon himself to honour Bennington.


Alamdar Khan recently released a video singing a cover of Linkin Park’s famous song Crawling. Set in a black and white backdrop, the video features Khan and some clips from Bennington’s last performance.

Khan has been into music for a long time. Talking to The Express Tribune, he revealed that Linkin Park is a major part of his life and interest in music. “My cousin and I were jamming to Linkin Park’s song after Bennington had passed away and we thought of recording it,” he recalled. “But he was flying back to the US soon so I got in touch with Sarmad Ghafoor, who recorded the song for us.”


Post recording, Khan thought of shooting a video as well so he got back in touch with Ghafoor and filmed it. “All of this happened in the span of a few days. No one from our side of the world had paid a tribute to Bennington so I took it upon myself to honour him,” he stated.

Bennington passed away in July 2017. The singer was suffering from depression and committed suicide by hanging himself at his house in California. With his tribute, Khan aims to educate people about mental disorders as well. “Mental illnesses are still considered a taboo in Pakistan. If you go see a shrink, people start to think you are crazy. So we’re trying to raise awareness that it is okay to go see a psychiatrist and get help,” he explained.

Sharing his own experiences, Khan said, “I went through depression when my mother passed away in 2014. It took me a year to get myself out of it.” He added that people need to realise that mental illnesses are a serious concern. Just like cancer or AIDs, mental disorders can be life threatening as well.


The singer also mentioned that the rise of social media has added fuel to mental health concerns, which is why people suffering from such illnesses need immense support. “There are many ways for them to seek help. Exercising, yoga or meditation can prove to be beneficial. In some cases, a lifestyle change can also do wonders,” shared Khan. “More importantly, educating people on mental health disorders should be the primary concern so that such causalities could be avoided.”

Khan hopes that this tribute will not only honour Bennington but also let people know that there are many around them who are also suffering.

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