Chester Bennington in Custody Dispute with Estranged Wife
April 29, 2005
Chester Bennington is going solo -- but we're not talking about his relationship with his band mates in Linkin Park. Instead, he's splitting with his wife, Samantha.
We spoke with Rolling Stone magazine Associate Editor Brian Hyatt, who told us divorce and rock 'n roll are common partners: "Marriage in the rock world is like being on 'Temptation Island.' There's temptation 24 hours a day!"
In court papers obtained by "CJ," Samantha doesn't cite temptation, only the usual "irreconcilable differences" between the once powerfully close couple. The papers also reveal that there are issues over the custody of their three-year-old son, Draven.
Chester accuses his estranged wife of trying to punish him by thwarting his visitation rights, stating, "I have every ability to care and nurture him"
Sources tell us that custody has not yet been resolved, but in the meantime, the couple has agreed not to make any defamatory remarks about each other in front of their child.
And then there's this rare agreement regarding any future bed partners: the documents state that neither party shall have Draven sleep in his or her bed while another adult is in bed with them. The non-party adult shall sleep outside of the room where the child is sleeping.
The couple married in 1996, when Bennington was 20. He once said marrying Samantha was the most poignant moment of his life, and credited her with pulling him out of an abyss of emotional torture he suffered as a victim of child sexual abuse, and later cocaine addiction.
Chester, known for his extensive and colorful body tattoos once said of the famed artwork on his body, "tattoos are permanent and a lifelong commitment, the same as marriage."
Equally ironic is another quote form Chester: "tattoos exude pain and pleasure, all at the same time."
The attorney for Samantha would only say that the couple's number one concern is their son Draven. Chester's lawyer did not return our call.
