Why did lead singer Chester Bennington from Linkin Park hang himself? The mysterious death of Chester Bennington When did Chester Bennington die.

Memorial in memory of the frontman of American rock Linkin groups Park Chester e Bennington appeared at the US Embassy in Moscow.

It is reported that fans are bringing flowers, candles and toys to the diplomatic mission building. Near the information board there are several large photographs of the musician and a heart-shaped balloon. People can't believe what happened.

Fans gather near the memorial to read the lyrics of the band's songs and honor the memory of the artist.

Chester Bennington, lead singer of the group Linkin Park, died on July 20, 2017, according to the conclusion of forensic experts, the cause of death of the singer is suicide

A few days ago, the world was shocked by the news of the death of Chester Bannington, who hanged himself in his own home in Palos Verdes. The rock legend's body was discovered early this morning by his housekeeper. It is reported that a half-empty bottle was lying next to him. alcoholic drink, no traces of drugs were found.

For several years, the singer struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs. Bennington had previously attempted suicide; then he explained his act by saying that he had been sexually abused by a man as a child. In one of the interviews, the singer admitted that in early age his older comrade raped him. Chester was afraid to tell others about this; his acquaintance continued to take advantage of the teenager’s silence and subjected him to violence for six years.

Bennington's colleagues can't come to their senses

“Our hearts are broken. A wave of sadness and denial still hits our family as we come to terms with what happened,” the statement said.

The group stressed that in the past few days they have seen "an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world." "Talinda [Bennington's widow] and family appreciate this and want the world to know that you were best husband, son and father; the family will remain incomplete without you,” the message says.

“We try to remind ourselves that the demons that took you were part of the deal. After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place. You fearlessly exposed these demons and by doing so, brought us together and taught us to be human. You had the biggest heart and were able not to hide it,” said Linkin Park.

The group noted that its love for making music and performing is "unquenchable." “We don’t know which path we will take in the future, but we know that the lives of each of us have become better thanks to you. Thank you for this gift. We love you and miss you very much,” the group concluded.

Exact cause of death: what happened to Bennington

The cause of death of one of the leaders popular group Chester Bennington's Linkin Park committed suicide by hanging.

Experts consider suicide as the only version of the death of the cult singer music group Chester Bennington's Linkin Park.

It is noted that the deceased did not leave suicide note. However, media reports are officially confirmed that a open bottle with alcohol.

It is reported that an autopsy of the deceased's body is expected to take place soon.

Biography of Chester Bennington

Path to glory brilliant musician Chester Bennington's story was thorny and difficult. Chester was born in Arizona on March 20, 1976. Until the age of 16, he lived in Arizona with his father and younger sister. In total, the Bennington family had four children, Chester, his two sisters and a brother. After his parents' divorce, which occurred in 1987, Chester remained to live with his father, along with his younger sister. But at the age of 16, Chester came to live with his mother.

By the age of 16, Bennington had already tried all possible types of alcohol and drugs, and came to his mother in a terrible state. Chester's mother had no choice but to lock her son at home to protect him from addiction. But without drugs, Chester sought salvation in alcohol, and consumed it in incredible quantities.

Bennington struggled with alcohol addiction until the end of his days. To do this, he even traveled on a separate bus from the group on tour.

Chester began his career as a member of the band Gray Daze, where he was the vocalist from 1993 to 1997. Despite the fact that the musician could play almost all musical instruments, most often he appeared as a vocalist. Bennington left Gray Daze in 1997, having recorded 2 albums with the group. The reason for leaving was disagreements among bandmates.

Before Chester became a legendary musician, he had to make a living at Burger King, and it was during this period that Bennington met his first wife.

Chester married his first wife Samantha when he was neither rich nor famous. Bennington then made his living at Burger King, playing in the evenings as part of the band Gray Daze. Samantha and Chester got married on October 31, 1996. Financial condition It was so difficult for the future alternative rock legend that the couple didn’t even have money for wedding rings. Therefore, Samantha and Chester came out of the situation and got themselves tattoos on their ring fingers in the form of wedding rings.

Samantha and Chester were married for 8 years, in 2002 they had a son, their firstborn, who was named Draven Sebastian Bennington. The couple divorced in 2005. Chester's son remained in Samantha's care.

The second wife of the legendary musician was Talida Bentley, a former Playboy model. On December 31, 2005, Talida and Chester were married, and on March 16, 2006, their son Tyler Lee was born. A little later, Talida and Chester adopted two more children, Jamie and Isaiah. And on November 11, 2011, Talida gave birth to two more girls, who were named Lily and Lila. In total, Chester Bennington left 6 children: four natural and two adopted.

“Live fast, die young” - this motto of rock and roll does not promise a long and happy life. It so happened that the most bright stars those who died early and tragically are recognized.

Compared with Kurt Cobain, who shot himself at age 27, 41-year-old Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington- a real long-liver. But still, this age is far from advanced. But the musician failed to cope with his inner demons.

Alcohol, drugs and rock

Chester Bennington was born on March 20, 1976 in Phoenix, the son of a police officer and a nurse. He was 11 years old when his parents divorced and divided their children. Chester stayed with his father.

As a teenager, three things became his main hobbies: music, alcohol and drugs.

When, at the age of 17, Chester moved to his mother, she was horrified - a skinny teenager with a devilish gleam in his eyes appeared before her. To force her son to give up alcohol and drugs, his mother sometimes locked him at home. Chester himself admitted that this did not help much. If he gave up drugs for some time, he drank so much that by the age of 20 he turned, by his own admission, into a “complete chronic alcoholic.”

All this could have ended in a grave even then, if not for the music that kept him in this life.

Diner Talent

His first serious group was the Gray Daze team, which he created in 1993 together with drummer Sean Dowdell. The musicians became stars in Arizona, but were prevented from developing further internal conflicts and ever-increasing doses of alcohol and drugs. In 1997, the group broke up.

Gray Daze was famous group, but by no means financially successful. Bennington earned his living by working in Burger King, remaining as poor as a church rat. To his first wife Samantha Chester couldn't even give wedding ring, which is why the couple simply tattooed this symbol on their fingers.

His only wealth was his vocal abilities. In 1997, the Xero group, founded Mike Shinoda And Brad Delson, was looking for a new vocalist. It was impossible to find a suitable candidate until, through friends, Shinoda learned about a certain talent from Arizona. Bennington received a call on his birthday, March 20, asking for a tape of the recording.

Chester didn’t put the matter off for a long time - taking a break from the feast, he quickly recorded his vocals and let Shinoda and Delson listen to it over the phone.

They were so impressed that they asked Bennington to come over immediately. The next day the musicians were already rehearsing together in Los Angeles.

Linkin Park: Jump to Fame

They decided to give the team a new name. At first it sounded like Hybrid Theory, but problems began with the British group Hybrid, who accused their colleagues of plagiarism.

Then Bennington suggested the name Lincoln Park - as a child, he went to classes through Lincoln Park music studio. Shinoda and other members of the group liked the name, but the Internet domain with that name was taken. After some thought, we decided to call ourselves Linkin Park - with this name the rock and rollers came to world fame.

Hybrid Theory's first album, released in 2000, exploded musical space. It sold over 30 million copies, and for the song “Crawling” the group received a Grammy in the category “ Best Performance in the style of hard rock."

Linkin Park's hits tore up the charts, and the "In the End" video, broadcast on MTV, received the award for best video clip of the year.

In just a few years, Linkin Park turned his style, which was considered alternative music, into one of the most popular and fashionable on the planet. From Seattle to Chelyabinsk, Bennington's vocals were heard everywhere, and even the main stars of world pop music could envy Linkin Park's fan frenzy and commercial success.

At the peak of popularity

Linkin Park became a symbol of the first decade of the 21st century, securely securing their place in the history of rock and roll. The group's songs became the soundtrack to Transformers and were included in the soundtrack of the legendary game Need for Speed.

From a poor diner employee, Chester Bennington turned into a million-dollar star. But the habits he acquired in his youth did not let him go. Alcohol and drugs remained companions in life. It got to the point that Bennington had to go on tour separately from the other musicians so that his alcoholic psychoses would not bother his colleagues.

And yet it seemed that life was gradually getting better. After his first divorce, Bennington married a Playboy model in 2005. Talinda Bentley. They lived together for 12 years, having four of their own and two adopted children.

He managed to implement his solo project without leaving Linkin Park completely. He checked in episodic roles V cult films"Adrenaline" and "Adrenaline: High voltage", played in "Saw 3D".

He who ended his life tragically is a true poet...

Linkin Park's seventh studio album, One More Light, was released in May 2017. Despite the fact that the fan craze was left behind, the group did not lose the love of its loyal fans. Is it true, gossips they insisted that Linkin Park had finally “sold out to pop,” for which Bennington promised to personally punch the critics in the face.

But what happened behind the outward appearance of Chester Bennington’s personal well-being is known only to those closest to him.

Chris Cornell. Chester and Chris were close friends, and Bennington was deeply affected by Cornell's death.

He took his fatal step on July 20, his friend’s birthday. Whether this was an accident or a conscious choice is still unknown.

As always happens in such cases, Linkin Park is waiting for a new explosion of popularity. But the price paid for this is too high.

Chester Charles Bennington was born on March 20, 1976, in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother was a nurse and his father was a police detective investigating child sexual abuse cases.

Bennington became interested in music at an early age, citing Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots as his early influences. He dreamed of becoming a member of the latter, which he achieved later.

His parents divorced when Chester was eleven, and the father received custody of the child. After the divorce, Bennington began using marijuana, alcohol, opium, cocaine, methamphetamine and LSD. It’s unlikely that anyone would have thought then that an exhausted drug addict would not only be able to get off the needle, but also begin to raise six children.

At the age of 17, he moved in with his mother, who, having found out about his addiction, began locking him at home. Before you start your career professional musician Bennington worked at the Burger King chain. IN school years the young man was cruelly abused. In an interview, Chester said: "I was thrashed like rag doll at school because I was skinny and didn't look like the others."

In an interview, Chester said that from the age of seven he was sexually abused by one of his friends, who was older than him. Bennington was afraid to ask for help, afraid that he would be considered "gay", and the abuse continued until he was 13 years old.

Due to constant humiliation and family problems Chester suffered so much that he developed a desire to run away from home and kill people. To cope with heartache, Bennington wrote poems and songs and painted paintings. He later revealed the rapist's identity to his father, but chose to hush up the matter, deciding that his tormentor had become a "victim of himself."

Chester first began singing in the band Sean Dowdell and His Friends?, after which he formed the post-grunge team Gray Daze, which released three albums. He left the latter in 1998, but finding a new team was not so easy. Desperate, Bennington almost gave up music, but Jeff Blue, then working with the Zomba Music label, managed to offer him an audition in Los Angeles (LA) with future members of the band Linkin Park (then Xero).

Bennington quit his job at digital services and moved with his family to California, where he was accepted into Linkin Park. He and fellow vocalist Mike Shinoda achieved amazing results working together, but couldn't get a deal with any labels. After numerous refusals, Jeff Blue intervened and helped the group sign a contract with Warner Bros. Records.

On October 24, 2000, Linkin Park released debut album, "Hybrid Theory", for the lyrical basis of which Bennington and Shinoda took their early work. In the group, Chester mostly served as lead vocalist, but sometimes shared this role with Shinoda. All Music Guide calls Bennington's vocals "piercing" and "emotional", contrasting with Shinoda's hip-hop delivery. In total, Linkin Park has released seven studio albums, selling approximately 80 million copies.

Along with Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck, Chester co-founded the band Dead by Sunrise, which released its debut album, "Out of Ashes", on October 13, 2009.

In February 2013, longtime lead vocalist Scott Weiland left Stone Temple Pilots. Bennington took his place in May of that year.

“Every band has its own energy,” Chester said after his long-time dream became a reality. “Linkin Park is an extremely modern, extremely technological band. Stone Temple Pilots feel more sexy, more classic rock. I grew up listening to them guys. When the chance came to join them, I didn’t have to think long.”

Bennington parted ways with Stone Temple Pilots on good terms in 2015, driven by his commitments to Linkin Park.

On May 12, 1996, Chester had a child, Jaime, from his relationship with Elka Brand. In 2006, he adopted Brand's other child, Isaiah. The musician's first wife was Samantha Mary Olite, on October 31, 1996. The marriage produced a son, Draven Sebastian, on April 19, 2002.

Relations with his first wife deteriorated as Bennington's career with Linkin Park progressed. The divorce was finalized in 2005. A year later, Chester married Ann Talinda Bentley, a former Playboy model. The second marriage produced three children: Tyler Lee Bennington and twins Lily and Lila.

On July 20, 2017, Bennington committed suicide by hanging at his home in Los Angeles. His body was discovered by his housekeeper at 9am. Michael Shinoda confirmed his colleague's death, writing on Twitter: "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come as soon as we receive it."

On July 21, 2017, Brian Elias, who was investigating the Bennington case, said that a half-empty bottle of alcohol was found at the scene, but no other traces of drugs.

The day of Bennington's death coincided with his birthday famous musician Chris Cornell, who would have turned 53 years old. Chester's close friend, Chris, had hanged himself two months earlier. Shinoda noted that Bennington, overcome with emotion when Linkin Park performed "One More Light" in honor of Cornell, could not even finish the song. At his friend's funeral, Chester performed "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen.

“We try to remind ourselves that the demons who took you from us were always part of the deal,” the message reads. “After all, the way you sang about those same demons made others fall in love with you from the very beginning.” started."

"You fearlessly exposed the demons, but at the same time you brought us together and taught us to be more human. You had the biggest heart, and you managed not to hide it."

Linkin Park announced the cancellation of North American concerts as part of the One More Light Tour, but made it clear that they suspended their activities only for a while.

“Our love for creating and performing music is undying,” reads another excerpt from the message, available on the Linkin Park website. “We don’t know what the future holds for us, but we know that you have made life better for each of us. Thank you for this gift. We love you, we miss you so much."

One of the flagship bands of the alternative rock scene, Linkin Park, has lost its vocalist: Chester Bennington is dead, he committed suicide on July 20 - the birthday of his late friend Chris Cornell, who passed away under almost the same circumstances in May of this year.

“The death of Chester Bennington is almost identical to the suicide of Chris Cornell,” say police officials and investigators at the scene of Bennington’s death.

Let's remember that LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington was hanging from the door separating the bedroom from the restroom, hanging from his own belt. SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell was found hanging from a red resistance band on May 18, 2017, from a door between a hotel bathroom and living room. Both musicians passed away without a suicide note. It is stated that Cornell hanged himself by swallowing pills. A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found near Chester's body.

“This happened when I already thought that it was impossible to break my heart stronger,” Chris’s widow commented on the incident.

It is impossible to say with 100% certainty what made Chester Bennington take his own life, but three assumptions can be made in this regard. We will announce them below.

1 reason why Chester Bennington committed suicide (Linkin Park leader)

In the past, the musician had plenty of unpleasant moments that did not let him go even after “things went uphill.” This includes an episode of sexual abuse by an adult man, which Chester experienced in childhood, and the divorce of his parents, and past creative failures. Previously antisocial, Benington abused drugs and alcohol to escape the pain that haunted him. After gaining popularity, he, in his own words, did this through his songs. Maybe they weren't enough.

2 reasons why Chester Bennington died Linkin Park

IN Lately ate in the group did not go very well: their last album One More Lighte received negative reviews from both audiences and critics. This could leave a certain mark on the impressionable musician and ultimately lead to thoughts of suicide. After all, in the past he also had periods of creative failures, which he experienced very hard.

In addition, there was also suicide close friend— Chris Cornell in May 2017. Chester could not bear all this weight that fell on his shoulders and it pushed him.

3 reasons why committed suicide Chester Bennington

The suicide of the frontman allowed the group's ratings to jump sharply - despite criticism. The last video that the group released on the day of the singer’s death - Talking To Myself - was viewed more than 30 million times on Youtube alone in less than 6 days.

Chester Bennington's suicide Linkin Park is on a par with such rock legends asThe Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Nirvana.

This reason is indirectly evidenced by the fact that Chester Bennington did not leave a suicide note.

There can be many reasons for Chester’s suicide and it is impossible to name any specific version as the most probable. We can only live with the fact that one of the most talented musicians of our time has passed away.

Recall that the 41-year-old father of 6 children, Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, died on July 20, 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes, California. According to the conclusion of forensic experts, the singer's cause of death is suicide.

, Linkin Park , Dead By Sunrise , Stone Temple Pilots

Labels

Chester Charles Bennington(English) Chester Charles Bennington; March 20, Phoenix, Arizona, USA) - American musician, vocalist of the bands Gray Daze, Linkin Park, Dead by Sunrise and Stone Temple Pilots.

Biography

Childhood and youth

Before his parents' divorce, Chester and his family often traveled around Arizona. They visited cities such as Scottsdale, Tolleson, Tempe and many others.

Until the age of 16, he tried every possible type of alcohol and drugs. At the age of 17, he moved in with his mother, who was so shocked by his appearance as an exhausted drug addict that she forbade him to leave the house. He continued to have withdrawal symptoms and continued to drink. Soon, as he himself admits, he turned into “an absolutely chronic alcoholic.” In subsequent years, alcoholism will still remind itself.

Carier start

From 1993 to 1997, Chester was the vocalist of the band Gray Daze, which was popular in the United States. Due to mutual disagreements with band members, Chester decided to leave. With Gray Daze he recorded 2 albums: “Wake me” in 1994 and “...no sun today” in 1997, and one demo version “Sean Dowdell and his Friends? "in 1993, when the group had that name. After Chester left, Sean Dowdell invited new vocalist, Jody Wendt, the band changed their name to Waterface, and they recorded one album Seven Days.

Since the title is copyrighted Hybrid theory belonged British group Hybrid, they had to change the band name. Chester suggested Lincoln Park because his home was near Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, and he often walked through the park to the studio. Everyone liked the name, but due to the fact that the Internet domain www.linkolnpark.com was already taken, the group adopted the name Linkin Park. They recorded their debut album Hybrid Theory during 1999-2000, which was released on October 24, 2000. It included hits such as "In the End" and "Crawling". It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide Hybrid Theory. In 2002, Linkin Park released the remix album Reanimation, which included remixes from the album Hybrid Theory. Chester and Linkin Park's next album was Meteora with hits "" and "Numb". Next was released live album Live In Texas and an album with Jay-Z Collision Course. His co-writer and band member Mike Shinoda wrote a song that, until recently, could not have been written. The song "Breaking the Habit" brings back memories of the past, many circumstances of which brought Bennington to tears. There is much speculation about the song's meaning, including Chester's drug addiction and childhood problems. It took Mike 6 years to write this song. It was ready in June 2003 and was included in the album Meteora. The album was released in 2007 Minutes To Midnight, produced by Rick Rubin, and in September 2010 Linkin Park's fourth studio album was released - A Thousand Suns, also produced by Rick Rubin. In 2012, the group recorded their fifth album Living Things, which was also co-produced by Rick Rubin.

Solo project

The album was released on October 13, 2009 Out of Ashes solo project Bennington Dead By Sunrise, work on which began back in 2006. Musicians from the groups Orgy and Julien-K helped him work on it.

Personal life

Early in his career with Linkin Park, Chester often suffered from health problems and was hospitalized several times. He also suffered from vision problems and was forced to wear glasses, without which he could not see anything. In 2004, he underwent surgery to correct the lens. For some time, due to problems with alcohol addiction, Chester traveled on a separate bus from the rest of the group.

Chester first married on October 31, 1996 to Samantha. On April 19, 2002, their first child was born, who was named Draven Sebastian. On April 29, 2005, Samantha filed for divorce. She took her son with her, but allowed Chester to see him. Now they are on good friendly terms. His second marriage, to Playboy model Talinda Bentley, took place on December 31, 2005, from whom his second son, Tyler Lee, was born on March 16, 2006. They also adopted two more children: Jamie (eng. Jaime) and Isaiah (eng. Isaiah). On November 11, 2011, Talinda gave birth to two girls, named Lily and Lila.

Additional facts

Discography

Year	Album	Label
	Hybrid Theory	Warner Brothers Records
	Meteora
	Minutes to Midnight	Warner Brothers Records/Machine Shop Recordings
	A Thousand Suns	Warner Brothers Records/Machine Shop Recordings
	Living Things	Warner Brothers Records/Machine Shop Recordings
	The Hunting Party	Warner Brothers Records/Machine Shop Recordings

As a guest performer

Year	Executor	Song	Album
2001	Stone Temple Pilots	"Wonderful"	The Family Values ​​2001 Tour
	Disturbed	"Walk"
2002	Chester Bennington	"System"	Queen of the Damned soundtrack
	Cyclefly	"Karma Killer"	Crave
	DJ Lethal	"State of the Art"
2004	Handsome Boy Modeling School (with Mike Shinoda)	"Rock 'N' Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop) Like This) Part 2"	White People
2005	Z-Trip	"Walking Dead"	Shifting Gears
	Mötley Crüe	"Home Sweet Home"
	Fort Minor, Jay-Z	"Nobody's Listening"	Fort Minor: We Major
2007	Young Buck	"Slow Ya Roll"	Buck the World
2008 2010	Chris Cornell	"Hunger Strike"	Songs from the Underground A Decade Underground
2010	Santana, Ray Manzarek	"Riders on the Storm"	Guitar Heaven: Santana Performs the Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time

Filmography

Year		Russian name	original name	Role
	f	Adrenalin	Crank	buyer at the pharmacy
	f	Adrenaline 2: High Voltage	Crank: High Voltage	guy in Hollywood park
	f	Saw 3D	Saw 3D	Evan
	f	Artifact	Artifact	as himself

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Notes

Literature

Studio albums Remix albums Live albums Demos Mini albums Video Collections Related projects Related Articles

Hybrid Theory Reanimation Meteora Collision Course Minutes to Midnight A Thousand Suns Living Things Recharged The Hunting Party Other singles Promotional singles

Studio albums Singles Related projects

Excerpt characterizing Bennington, Chester

– So you think that tomorrow’s battle will be won? - said Pierre.
“Yes, yes,” said Prince Andrei absently. “One thing I would do if I had power,” he began again, “I would not take prisoners.” What are prisoners? This is chivalry. The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, and they have insulted and insulted me every second. They are my enemies, they are all criminals, according to my standards. And Timokhin and the entire army think the same. We must execute them. If they are my enemies, then they cannot be friends, no matter how they talk in Tilsit.
“Yes, yes,” said Pierre, looking at Prince Andrei with sparkling eyes, “I completely, completely agree with you!”
The question that had been troubling Pierre since Mozhaisk Mountain all that day now seemed to him completely clear and completely resolved. He now understood the whole meaning and significance of this war and the upcoming battle. Everything he saw that day, all the significant, stern expressions on faces that he glimpsed, were illuminated for him with a new light. He understood that hidden (latente), as they say in physics, warmth of patriotism, which was in all those people whom he saw, and which explained to him why all these people were calmly and seemingly frivolously preparing for death.
“Take no prisoners,” continued Prince Andrei. “This alone would change the whole war and make it less cruel.” Otherwise, we played war - that’s what’s bad, we’re being generous and the like. This is generosity and sensitivity - like the generosity and sensitivity of a lady who becomes sick when she sees a calf being killed; she is so kind that she cannot see the blood, but she eats this calf with gravy with appetite. They talk to us about the rights of war, about chivalry, about parliamentarianism, to spare the unfortunate, and so on. It's all nonsense. I saw chivalry and parliamentarianism in 1805: we were deceived, we were deceived. They rob other people's houses, pass around counterfeit banknotes, and worst of all, they kill my children, my father, and talk about the rules of war and generosity towards enemies. Don't take prisoners, but kill and go to your death! Who got to this point the way I did, through the same suffering...
Prince Andrei, who thought that he did not care whether they took Moscow or not, the way they took Smolensk, suddenly stopped in his speech from an unexpected spasm that grabbed him by the throat. He walked several times in silence, but his eyes shone feverishly, and his lip trembled when he began to speak again:
“If there were no generosity in war, then we would go only when it’s worth it to go to certain death, as now.” Then there would be no war because Pavel Ivanovich offended Mikhail Ivanovich. And if there is a war like now, then there is a war. And then the intensity of the troops would not be the same as it is now. Then all these Westphalians and Hessians, led by Napoleon, would not have followed him to Russia, and we would not have gone to fight in Austria and Prussia, without knowing why. War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. We must take this terrible necessity strictly and seriously. That's all there is to it: throw away the lies, and war is war, not a toy. Otherwise, war is the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people... The military class is the most honorable. What is war, what is needed for success in military affairs, what are the morals of military society? The purpose of war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and its encouragement, the ruin of the inhabitants, their robbery or theft to feed the army; deception and lies, called stratagems; the morals of the military class - lack of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, drunkenness. And despite this, this is the highest class, respected by everyone. All kings, except the Chinese, wear a military uniform, and the one who killed the most people is given a large reward... They will come together, like tomorrow, to kill each other, kill, maim tens of thousands of people, and then they will serve thanksgiving services for having beaten there are many people (whose number is still being added), and they proclaim victory, believing that the more people are beaten, the greater the merit. How God looks and listens to them from there! – Prince Andrei shouted in a thin, squeaky voice. - Oh, my soul, lately it has become difficult for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much. But it is not good for a person to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... Well, not for long! - he added. “However, you are sleeping, and I don’t care, go to Gorki,” Prince Andrei suddenly said.
- Oh no! - Pierre answered, looking at Prince Andrei with frightened, compassionate eyes.
“Go, go: you need to get some sleep before the battle,” repeated Prince Andrei. He quickly approached Pierre, hugged him and kissed him. “Goodbye, go,” he shouted. “See you, no...” and he quickly turned around and went into the barn.
It was already dark, and Pierre could not make out the expression that was on Prince Andrei’s face, whether it was angry or tender.
Pierre stood silently for some time, wondering whether to follow him or go home. “No, he doesn’t need it! - Pierre decided to himself, - and I know that this is ours last date" He sighed heavily and drove back to Gorki.
Prince Andrey, returning to the barn, lay down on the carpet, but could not sleep.
He closed his eyes. Some images were replaced by others. He stopped at one for a long time, joyfully. He vividly remembered one evening in St. Petersburg. Natasha, with a lively, excited face, told him how last summer, while out picking mushrooms, she got lost in a large forest. She incoherently described to him the wilderness of the forest, and her feelings, and conversations with the beekeeper whom she had met, and, interrupting every minute in her story, she said: “No, I can’t, I’m not telling it like that; no, you don’t understand,” despite the fact that Prince Andrei reassured her, saying that he understood, and really understood everything she wanted to say. Natasha was dissatisfied with her words - she felt that the passionately poetic feeling that she experienced that day and which she wanted to turn out did not come out. “This old man was such a charm, and it was so dark in the forest... and he was so kind... no, I don’t know how to tell,” she said, blushing and worried. Prince Andrey smiled now with the same joyful smile that he smiled then, looking into her eyes. “I understood her,” thought Prince Andrei. “Not only did I understand, but this spiritual strength, this sincerity, this spiritual openness, this soul of hers, which seemed to be connected by her body, I loved this soul in her... I loved her so much, so happily...” And suddenly he remembered about how his love ended. “He didn’t need any of this. He didn't see or understand any of this. He saw in her a pretty and fresh girl, with whom he did not deign to throw in his lot. And I? And he is still alive and cheerful.”
Prince Andrei, as if someone had burned him, jumped up and began to walk in front of the barn again.

On August 25, on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, the prefect of the palace of the French Emperor, M r de Beausset, and Colonel Fabvier arrived, the first from Paris, the second from Madrid, to Emperor Napoleon in his camp near Valuev.
Having changed into a court uniform, M r de Beausset ordered the parcel he had brought to the emperor to be carried in front of him and entered the first compartment of Napoleon's tent, where, talking with Napoleon's adjutants who surrounded him, he began to uncork the box.
Fabvier, without entering the tent, stopped, talking with familiar generals, at the entrance to it.
Emperor Napoleon had not yet left his bedroom and was finishing his toilet. He, snorting and grunting, turned first with his thick back, then with his overgrown fat chest under the brush with which the valet rubbed his body. Another valet, holding the bottle with his finger, sprinkled cologne on the emperor’s well-groomed body with an expression that said that he alone could know how much and where to spray the cologne. Short hair Napoleon's forehead was wet and matted. But his face, although swollen and yellow, expressed physical pleasure: “Allez ferme, allez toujours...” [Well, even stronger...] - he said, shrugging and grunting, to the valet who was rubbing him. The adjutant, who entered the bedroom in order to report to the emperor about how many prisoners were taken in yesterday's case, having handed over what was needed, stood at the door, waiting for permission to leave. Napoleon, wincing, glanced from under his brows at the adjutant.
“Point de prisonniers,” he repeated the adjutant’s words. – Il se font demolir. Tant pis pour l "armee russe,” he said. “Allez toujours, allez ferme, [There are no prisoners. They force themselves to be exterminated. So much the worse for the Russian army. Well, even stronger...],” he said, hunching his back and exposing his fat shoulders.
“C"est bien! Faites entrer monsieur de Beausset, ainsi que Fabvier, [Okay! Let de Beausset come in, and Fabvier too.] - he said to the adjutant, nodding his head.
- Oui, Sire, [I'm listening, sir.] - and the adjutant disappeared through the door of the tent. Two valets quickly dressed His Majesty, and he, in a blue guards uniform, walked out into the reception room with firm, quick steps.
At this time, Bosse was hurrying with his hands, placing the gift he had brought from the Empress on two chairs, right in front of the Emperor’s entrance. But the emperor got dressed and went out so unexpectedly quickly that he did not have time to fully prepare the surprise.
Napoleon immediately noticed what they were doing and guessed that they were not yet ready. He didn't want to deprive them of the pleasure of surprising him. He pretended not to see Monsieur Bosset and called Fabvier over to him. Napoleon listened, with a stern frown and in silence, to what Fabvier told him about the courage and devotion of his troops, who fought at Salamanca on the other side of Europe and had only one thought - to be worthy of their emperor, and one fear - not to please him. The result of the battle was sad. Napoleon made ironic remarks during Fabvier's story, as if he did not imagine that things could go differently in his absence.
“I must correct this in Moscow,” said Napoleon. “A tantot, [Goodbye.],” he added and called de Bosset, who at that time had already managed to prepare a surprise by placing something on the chairs and covering something with a blanket.
De Bosset bowed low with that French court bow, which only the old servants of the Bourbons knew how to bow, and approached, handing over an envelope.
Napoleon turned to him cheerfully and pulled him by the ear.
– You were in a hurry, I’m very glad. Well, what does Paris say? - he said, suddenly changing his previously stern expression to the most affectionate.
– Sire, tout Paris regrette votre absence, [Sire, all of Paris regrets your absence.] – as it should, answered de Bosset. But although Napoleon knew that Bosset had to say this or the like, although he knew in his clear moments that it was not true, he was pleased to hear it from de Bosset. He again deigned to touch him behind the ear.
“Je suis fache, de vous avoir fait faire tant de chemin,” he said.
- Sire! Je ne m"attendais pas a moins qu"a vous trouver aux portes de Moscou, [I expected no less than to find you, sir, at the gates of Moscow.] - said Bosset.
Napoleon smiled and, absentmindedly raising his head, looked around to the right. The adjutant approached with a floating step with a golden snuff-box and offered it to her. Napoleon took it.
“Yes, it happened well for you,” he said, putting the open snuffbox to his nose, “you love to travel, in three days you will see Moscow.” You probably didn't expect to see the Asian capital. You will make a pleasant trip.
Bosse bowed with gratitude for this attentiveness to his (until now unknown to him) inclination to travel.
- A! what's this? - said Napoleon, noticing that all the courtiers were looking at something covered with a veil. Bosse, with courtly dexterity, without showing his back, took a half-turn two steps back and at the same time pulled off the coverlet and said:
- A gift to Your Majesty from the Empress.
It was a portrait painted by Gerard in bright colors of a boy born from Napoleon and the daughter of the Austrian emperor, whom for some reason everyone called the King of Rome.
A very handsome curly-haired boy, with a look similar to the look of Christ in Sistine Madonna, was depicted playing a billbok. The ball represented the globe, and the wand in the other hand represented the scepter.
Although it was not entirely clear what exactly the painter wanted to express by representing the so-called King of Rome piercing the globe with a stick, this allegory, like everyone who saw the picture in Paris, and Napoleon, obviously seemed clear and liked it very much.
“Roi de Rome, [Roman King.],” he said, pointing to the portrait with a graceful gesture of his hand. – Admirable! [Wonderful!] – With the Italian ability to change his facial expression at will, he approached the portrait and pretended to be thoughtfully tender. He felt that what he would say and do now was history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now was that he, with his greatness, as a result of which his son played in the billbok the globe so that he shows, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest fatherly tenderness. His eyes became misty, he moved, looked back at the chair (the chair jumped under him) and sat down on it opposite the portrait. One gesture from him - and everyone tiptoed out, leaving the great man to himself and his feelings.