Chester Bennington Ex-Wife: Who Is Samantha Marie Olit?

Singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park is dead at 41 after an apparent suicide. He was reportedly found hanged at his private property in Palos Verdes Estates, California at 9 a.m. PST Thursday morning.

Bennington is survived by six children, his wife Talinda Ann Bentley and his ex-wife Samantha Marie Olit. Bennington and Olit got married Oct. 31, 1996 after meeting when he sang in a band called Grey Daze in Arizona. While they were married, Bennington auditioned for Linkin Park in 1999. But during his stint with Linkin Park, the marriage soured and the two divorced in 2005.

READ: Chester Bennington Wife: Who Is Talinda Ann Bentley?

Bennington and Olit had a child together in 2002. Draven Sebastien Bennington was born April 19, and his birth reportedly motivated Olit to produce a children’s meditation CD. Olit posted a photo of herself traveling together with her son June 29 and captioned the photo, "Thanks for traveling the [earth emoji] with me ! I love my son!!"

According to her website, Olit started an independent label called SAM Records, an acronym for "Surface to Air Missile." She’s been called the "Punk Rock Mother Theresa" and has worked with a country music group called the "Freddie Wray Project."

As her website biography reads, music has been an important part of Olit's life from a very young age. One particular story captures the relationship that she developed with the art at just 7, the age at which she first entered a recording studio "as her adopted mother fell victim to a life threatening illness."

"She was hospitalized in intensive care where young children and young Samantha was taken in by her next door neighbors, in whose in-home studio Samantha found solace.

There, trembling, she made her first recording, a tremulous “get well” audio, where Samantha poured all her heart in, hoping this would help bring her mother home so she could see her again.

Little did she know that her mother was pronounced dead but her grandmother insisted the doctors play the recording and, to everyone’s shock, her mother’s fingers moved to the sound of her daughter’s plaintive voice."

According to her bio, Olit signed up for school in 2007 to learn how to be a life coach. She started Creative Life Coaching and helped private clients. She blogged about her experiences in the field on a website called Certainly Her.

READ: Chester Bennington Cause Of Death: Linkin Park Singer Dead At 41

According to her Instagram, Olit found love after Bennington. She posted a photo of her and beau A.J. Williamwood July 8. The caption read, "Loving sharing life with this man. We love each other on so many levels. The strength of our friendship will always be our foundation. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you."