AceShowbiz - Linkin Park singer Mike Shinoda is attempting to find a "new normal" following the suicide of bandmate Chester Bennington last July. The vocalist threw himself into working on his first solo studio album Post Traumatic after Chester's death, admitting he felt "lost" and claustrophobic in the wake of the tragedy.

He found concentrating on his music helpful, but still struggled with dark feelings that verged on depression. "It started in a really dark place..." he told Entertainment Tonight Canada. "Having lost one of my closest friends and collaborators. I felt very lost. Life was difficult, music was easy. We started talking about if we wanted to get involved with organisations that deal with depression and so on, you know?"

Mike added that he has realized the importance of "taking the things he's learned and sharing them with people" since Chester's passing. And he's keen to emphasise that mental health should be treated with the same importance as physical health.

He's now working on getting himself back to full mental health, adding, "Sometimes you just have to feel sad. And you have to just wait until it stops happening. Right? I had terrible days. And now I have less bad days. And eventually I will find a new normal."

Chester was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California at age of 41. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.