Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara

Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilot’s member Chester Bennington has decided to leave Stone Temple Pilots as a result of the big factor of family.

The co-announcement was made on Monday on Stone Temple Pilot’s website. According to AXS, in another statement it had been said that scheduling had been the main reason for departure as the artist has been handling work with Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots after the firing of former STP frontman Scott Weiland.

According to Loud Wire, in a chat with New York’s Q104.3 FM the artist had talked about his time with Stone Temple Pilots and his decision to leave. He says “I’ve seen Stone Temple Pilots play, like, probably thirty times,  a huge influence on me. They really made music that I absolutely loved, and I still love to this day. And so the chance to go ahead and go out and perform those songs with those guys was really very, very cool. And, honestly, Robert and Dean and Eric, those guys are super talented.”

He also adds “The only reason why I’m not doing it now is because my kids, they would cry every time I’d go on the road with STP,” explains the singer. “When I leave on tour with Linkin Park, they’re, like, ‘Okay, we’ll see you when you get back,’ and they understand what I’m doing. But when I would leave with STP, they would cry. And I started realizing, I think they thought I was choosing to do that over being at home with them, because I would be done with Linkin Park and coming home. And so, it was just too hard on my family. So I basically was, like, ‘You know what? I’ve gotta stop being selfish here, and when I’m not doing Linkin Park, I’ve just gotta be home with my babies.”