FOO FIGHTERS members Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins recently spoke to New Zealand's The Rock FM about the social stigma that is currently associated with depression, addiction and trauma, particularly in the wake of the recent deaths of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell. "When it comes to someone like Chris Cornell or Chester, depression is a disease, and everybody kind of goes through it their own way," Grohl said. "I can't speak for anybody else's condition, but the hardest part is when you lose a friend. And I just always immediately think of their families, their bandmates, 'cause going through something like suicide, it's a long road. And Chris was such a beautiful guy, man — he was the sweetest person, he was so talented, he had so much to offer — that it was a real shock to hear that he had gone." Grohl, who lost NIRVANA bandmate Kurt Cobain to suicide, continued: "I think that mental health and depression is something that people should really take seriously," he continued. "And there's a stigma attached to it, which is unfortunate, because just as you take care of yourselves in every other way, I think it's important that people really try to take care of themselves in that way too. And it ain't easy. You know, life's hard." Added Hawkins: "Like [Dave] said, people [think], 'You've got it so together.' It just goes to show you, it doesn't matter what's in your bank account, or how many hits are on your YouTube page, or all that kind of crap — it all goes out the window if, like Dave said, you're not feeling right. "Not to get to hear Chris Cornell make another record again is my selfish version of it. And there's such a bigger hurt beyond my own selfish [reasons for wanting him around]. I barely knew him, a little bit, but what I did know, he was super cool. I didn't know Chester very well at all, but I knew Chris a little bit, and Dave knew him a little bit too. We just loved his records, man. Some of the first stuff me and Dave ever jammed on, when we would just goof around in the rehearsal room… I can remember as far back as when I first joined the band, me and [Dave] playing SOUNDGARDEN riffs together. And I remember making [1999's] 'There's Nothing Left To Lose' with the guy who engineered and produced some of their records, and we would just listen to their records a lot. They were a big inspiration for us as musicians, and Chris Cornell was just the master. So the loss, it's a bummer, but, like Dave said, that's a real thing. Look after yourselves, and if it looks like someone's down, way down, check on 'em." After Cornell died in May, Bennington wrote a letter thanking him for inspiring him and hoping he would find peace in "the next life." Chester died on July 20, which would have been Cornell's 53rd birthday. The two singers bonded when they toured together nearly a decade ago. FOO FIGHTERS' ninth album, "Concrete And Gold", will be released September 15 worldwide on Roswell/RCA.
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