The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Chester Bennington

Per Mayo Clinic, hiatal hernia is a condition that sounds nasty but can potentially be completely without issue. However, if things get bad enough, you're in for all sorts of painful ailments that come when a part of the stomach squeezes into the chest through the same hole that allows the esophagus to come through the barrier between the diaphragm and abdomen.

Chester Bennington's hiatal hernia was not a small and harmless one, according to MTV News. He got the version where stomach acid gets into the esophagus muscle, which was extremely painful, and also caused other issues that made life difficult –- especially since Bennington sang for a living.

The singer's hiatal hernia had been around for a while and caused all sorts of painful back, gastrointestinal, and stamina issues, which were only diagnosed as hiatal hernia fairly late in the game. One time, things got so bad that his stomach acid caused an infection. Said infection, incidentally, was in his throat, which isn't the best news for a singer.

Things escalated during the album and tour cycle for Linkin Park's 2003's "Meteora" album, at which point it became apparent that surgery was in order. "I'm kind of queasy all the time," Bennington described the situation at the time. "I'm basically gonna be sick to my stomach until I have the surgery done. Every night when I sing, it kind of pisses off the hernia. Last night I was vomiting when I was singing."

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